^  PRINCETON,  N.   J. 

©  'Part  of  the 

t  ADDISON  ALEXANDER  LIBIlAJn,       ^ 

t\  which  was  presented  by                    /| 

11  MEiSKS.'  R.  I-.  AND  A.  Stuarv.             ^ 


.L^9 1 


-  0 

/"t^r  -v:^ 

/.r/ 

f 

THE 


BOOK   OF   REYELATION 


EXPLAINED  BY  HISTORY. 


A   COMMENTARY, 


BY 

REV.  J.  b/l'HOTE, 

FORMEKLY  PBIEST  OF   VILLEFAVARD,  FRANCE,  NOW  A  MISSIONARY   OF   THK 

GOSPEL  OF  OUR  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST,  AND  PROFESSOR  OF 

LANGUAGES,  IN  LAAVRENCEVILLE,  N.  J. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LIPPmCOTT,   GRAMBO   &   CO. 
1854. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854, 

BY  LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMBO  &  CO., 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pejuisylvania. 


PREFACE. 


Keader  : — I  have  studied,  many  years,  this  prophecy  of  the 
beloved  disciple  of  Jesus,  not  to  comment  upon  it,  or  to  write  a 
book,  but  for  my  own  enjoyment  and  delight.  And  now,  I 
publish  this  book,  because  God  has  enabled  me  to  understand  this 
wonderful  Revelation,  and  because  I  desire  to  impart  to  others  the 
fruits  of  my  labors. 

I  am  well  aware  of  the  imperfections  of  this  book,  which 
originate  from  my  limited  knowledge  of  the  English  language. 
I  know  the  evils  which  have  been  brought  upon  some  of  our 
fellow-men  by  false  interpretations  of  the  sacred  emblems  of  this 
prophecy,  and  I  am  not  ignorant  of  the  prejudices,  which  both 
Christians  and  infidels  entertain  against  any  interpretation  of  this 
wonderful  book  of  God.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  long  felt 
that  it  is  a  shame  for  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  or  for  any  professor 
of  Christianity,  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  an  inspired  book, — a  part 
of  the  sacred  volume,  which  they  hold  to  be  the  foundation  of  the 
religion,  which  they  teach  or  profess, — and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
acknowledge,  that  they  do  not  understand  its  mysterious  language, 
and  to  entertain  against  it  such  prejudices  as  do  infidels  them- 
selves. Therefore,  I  publish  this  exposition ;  and  do  not  hesitate 
to  say,  that  it  is  logically  and  historically  demonstrated  to  be  true ; 
consequently,  that  it  will  prevent  any  further  abuse  of  its  emble- 
matic language,  and  will  prove  to  be  a  powerful  instrumentality  to 
silence  infidelity,  to  put  down  popish  arrogance  and  delusion,  and 
to  advance  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord. 

Voltaire  says  of  Newton  :  ^'  The  greatest  geniuses  may  have  an 


VIU  PREFACE. 

erroneous  judgment  about  a  principle,  wliich  they  have  received 
without  examination  :  Newton  had  it,  when  he  commented  upon 
the  Apocalypse/'  Reader,  carefully  peruse  this  book,  which  I  oflfer 
you ;  and  then,  you  will  decide  whether  Newton,  or  Voltaire,  had 
an  erroneous  judgment  of  "  a  principle,  received  without  examina- 
tion/' This  prophecy  will  no  longer  be  to  you  an  obscure  and 
unintelligible  book;  and  you  will  confess  that  it  is  the  most 
wonderful  of  all  miracles. 

The  explanation,  which  I  give  of  this  book,  is  not  an  arbitrary 
one.  It  is  founded  upon  the  nature,  use,  and  functions  of  its 
emblems,  and  upon  the  illustrations,  given  by  the  prophet  himself. 
Thus  explained,  these  emblems  represent  to  us  the  true  condition 
of  the  Church,  during  eighteen  centuries,  and  all  the  important 
events  of  history,  in  such  a  manner,  that,  with  the  monuments  of 
history  which  we  now  possess,  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to 
represent  the  same  events,  in  figurative  language,  clearer  and 
better,  than  that  of  the  prophecy  itself.  There  is,  then,  no  other 
explanation  to  be  given  of  this  prophecy, — and  if,  against  my 
belief,  there  is  another,  let  those  upon  whom  weigh  the  curses  of 
this  book,  hasten  to  give  it. 

Many  passages  and  emblems  had  been  understood  by  those  who 
have,  in  all  ages,  commented  upon  this  book ;  but  only  as  many  as 
were  necessary,  under  the  providence  of  God,  to  prevail  with 
Christians  to  preserve  this  sacred  book  in  the  Church,  with  a  holy 
reverence,  notwithstanding  the  dark  cloud  which  surrounded  the 
other  parts.  But  these  difficulties,  which  they  were  obliged  to 
pass  over  in  every  chapter  (mistaking  even  the  whole  of  the 
seventh,  eleventh,  twelfth,  and  twenty-first  chapters,  which  have 
never  been  understood  according  to  their  true  meaning),  were  as 
many  chasms,  which  they  could  not  fill  up,  and  which  rendered 
their  commentaries  a  chaos  of  opinions,  of  systems,  and  of  insigni- 
ficant quotations;  so  that  the  prophecy  itself,  becoming  more 
obscure  by  these  systems  and  opinions,  provoked  the  derision  of 
infidels,  and  the  indifi'erence  and  disgust  of  Christians.* 

•  As  the   writer  has  no  book,   when   writing    this   exposition,   he  cites 


PREFACE.  IX 

My  purpose,  in  writing  this  book,  is  not  to  expatiate  on  the 
common  words,  which  present  no  difficulty,  because  the  reader  can 
comment  himself  upon  them,  and  be  benefited  thereby  :  I  will 
only  explain  the  meaning  of  the  emblematic  language  of  the  pro- 
phecy, and  show  the  connection  between  every  part  of  it,  and  its 
fulfilment  as  it  is  recorded  in  history.  As  I  have  been  greatly 
blessed  by  the  reading  of  this  book  of  Revelation,  I  am  confident 
that  the  serious  perusal  of  this  exposition  will  impart  to  the  reader 
the  same  blessings.  The  author  of  the  prophecy  declares  himself, 
that  "  Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of 
this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which  are  written  therein." 
Notwithstanding  the  imperfections  of  this  commentary,  every 
Christian  will  be  strengthened  in  his  holy  faith,  by  the  reading  of 
it;  every  infidel  will  learn  how  great  our  God  is;  and  every 
Catholic  and  every  priest  will  be  taught,  that  Roman  Catholicism 
has  been  long  ago  spewed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Grod  of  Chris- 
tians. All  will  learn  that  the  Reformation,  which  has  so  long  been 
called  "  a  heresy,"  was  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  that  on  the  25th  of 
April,  1529,  when  the  rulers  of  this  world  met  together  at  Spires, 
to  give  the  Reformation  the  name  of  "  Protestantism,"  it  was  the 
Lord  who  overruled  their  counsel,  and  prevailed  upon  them  to 
give  his  faithful  Church  this  new  name,  which  he  had  adopted,  in 
order  that  there  should  be  a  distinction  between  his  true  Church 
and  the  spurious  one,  which  had  defiled  the  Christian  and  Catholic 
name.  Therefore,  he  wrote  upon  the  Reformation  "  the  name  of 
God,"  by  whom  it  was  adopted  as  his  own  work,  and  '^the  name 
of  New  Jerusalem,"  showing,  in  this  manner,  that  the  Reformation 
shall  be  henceforth  "  the  city  of  his  God,  which  cometh  down  from 
heaven,"  and  in  writing  "upon  him  that  overcometh"  popery  "the 
name  of  God  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  God,"  and  making  him 
"  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  God,"  he  acknowledges  the  Reformers 
to  be,  like  the  apostles,  "pillars"  in  this  new  temple-of  God;  and 

Henry's  and  Scott's  expositions  from  memory;  and  he  regrets  that  he  is  thus 
unable  to  refer  to  the  parts  by  which  he  has  been  benefited,  when  he 
consulted  them  to  understand  this  prophecy  for  his  own  delight  and  grati- 
fication. 


X  PREFACE. 

the  Reformed  Churches,  to  be  ^^  the  holy  church/'  which  he  had 
built  up  in  Jerusalem  (see  3  :  12).  And  so,  Protestantism  is 
vindicated  by  the  Lord  himself  from  the  reproach  of  heresy :  Pro- 
testantism is  the  new  name  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord;  and  the 
Reformers  were  the  new  pillars  of  this  New  Jerusalem,  as  it  came 
down,  at  first,  from  heaven. 

Would  to  God  that  the  priests,  and  the  bishops,  and  all  those 
who  are  born  Catholic,  might  read  this  short  exposition  of  this 
wonderful  prophecy,  with  the  desire  to  be  taught  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  way  that  they  shall  choose  !  May  they  abandon  the 
papal  church,  from  which  they  can  receive  no  benefit,  except 
childish  honors  and  worldly  distinctions  !  May  they  proclaim  the 
word  of  God  as  the  only  true  standard  of  faith,  and  Jesus,  as  the 
only  bishop  of  souls  and  the  only  head  of  his  Church  !  The  writer 
lived  once,  like  them,  in  the  darkness  of  popery.  He  was  first 
awakened  from  his  popish  slumber,  when  reading  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical history,  that  a  Franciscan  friar,  incensed  that  the  pope  had 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Dominicans  a  controversy  debated  between 
them  and  his  order,  wrote  a  pamphlet,  in  which  he  asserted,  that 
the  Pope  was  the  Antichrist,  the  beast  of  the  Apocalypse.  From 
that  time,  he  began  to  examine  the  doctrines  of  the  mother  church; 
he  took  notice  of  the  innovations  introduced  every  year  into 
the  church;  he  ceased,  henceforth,  to  sanctify  the  crimes  of 
the  Popes,  and  he  denied  their  assumed  power  and  the  claims 
of  their  priesthood.  But,  being  deprived  of  the  word  of  God, 
and  having  no  Christian  friend  to  lead  him  to  Christ  and  his  word, 
he  wandered  alone  until  the  great  Shepherd,  the  bishop  of  our 
souls,  came  to  rescue  him  from  his  wanderings,  to  show  him  the 
beauty  of  holiness,  and  to  introduce  him,  through  the  gates,  into 
his  holy  city.  "  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out !  Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust 
in  him  !" 

The  book  of  Revelation  was  judged,  in  a  council  held  about  A.  D. 
360,  in  Laodicea,  on  account  of  its  obscure  symbols,  unworthy  of  a 
place  in  the  canon  of  the  sacred  books.  Nevertheless  it  was  not  held 
in  less  reverence  by  the  Church,  and  its  authenticity  has  been  in- 


PREFACE.  XI 

vincibly  vindicated  by  all  the  authors  who  have  commented  upon 
it.  But  the  best  and  the  only  proof  needed  to  establish  its  au- 
thenticity, is  to  explain  its  emblematic  language  according  to  its 
nature  and  its  meaning  in  the  word  of  God,  and  to  show  that  it 
gives  us  a  true  and  faithful  picture  of  the  principal  events  of 
history,  and  of  the  state  of  the  Church  from  the  time  of  the  prophet 
to  our  days. 

It  follows  from  the  teachings  of  this  Revelation  that  all  events 
have  been  foreordained,  and  that  the  names  of  the  elect  have  been 
written  in  the  book  of  the  Lamb  before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
The  same  word  of  God  teaches  the  foreknowledge  of  God  and  the 
election  of  his  people.     But  to  this,  it  is  objected  that,  if  such  be 
the  case,  there  is,  then,  no  liberty  to  act  otherwise,  and  conse- 
quently that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  perishing  sinners  would 
be  a  mockery,  because  they  cannot  resist  the  decrees  of  God.     It 
will  not  be  amiss,  therefore,  to  answer  briefly  this  objection,  which 
originates  from  a  wrong  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  the  eternity  of 
God.     Let  the  line  a — h  represent  the  eternal  existence  of  God. 
Every  event,  the  lives  of  men,  the  existence  of  empires,  may  be 
represented  by  m,  and  their  duration  by  the  liae  m — n,  taken  at 
any  point  of  the  line  representing  the  eternity  of  God.     Now,  the 
existence  of  God  docs  not  consist  of  days,  hours,  and  years.     There 
is  no  time,  no  past,  no  future,  for  God  :  all  things  are  actually 
present  before  the  eternal  eye  of  the  Almighty.     Therefore,  though, 
at  the  point  a  of  the  line  representing  his  eternity,  he  saw  and 
knew,  as  if  they  were  presently  accomplished,  all  events,  the  lives 
of  men,  and  the  existence  of  empires,  his  seeing  beforehand  these 
events  does  not  prevent  our  liberty  any  more  than  our  seeing  afar 
oif  a  drunkard  rushing  to  his  ruin,  or  an  imprudent  man  exposing 
himself  rashly  to  a  precipice,  has  any  influence  upon  their  conduct 
and  destruction.     In  this  manner,  the  lives  of  Jacob  and  Esau,  re- 
presented by  the  line  m — n,  were  known  of  God,  at  the  time  of  their 
birth,  represented  by  m;  and  the  foul  act  of  Esau  selling  freely 
his  birthright  was  known  and  present,  under  the  eye  of  the  eternal 
God,  at  the  time  of  his  birth.     Therefore,  before  they  were  born 
and  had  done  any  good  or  evil,  God  could  say  without  impairing 


XU  PREFACE. 

their  liberty,  "  The  elder  shall  serve  the  younger  ....  Jacob  have 
I  loved,  but  Esau  have  I  hated." 

There  is,  in  God,  a  foreknowledge  of  the  character  of  the  elect ; 
for,  in  the  golden  chain  of  salvation,  "  the  knowledge  of  God"  is 
the  first  link  of  the  chain,  according  to  St.  Paul,  saying,  "  For 
whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed 
to  the  image  of  his  Son,  that  he  might  be  the  first-born  among 
many  brethren.  Moreover,  whom  he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also 
called  :  and  whom  he  called,  them  he  also  justified  :  and  whom  he 
justified,  them  he  also  glorified."  Jesus  Christ  died  for  all,  and 
the  means  of  grace  have  been  provided  for  all ;  but  as  God  fore- 
knew that  the  wicked  would  not  choose  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
because  "  their  soul  delighteth  in  their  abominations,"  and  because 
they  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil, 
their  names  are  not  written  in  the  book  of  the  Lamb.  But  that 
does  not  impair  their  liberty  any  more  than  if  the  eternal  God  were 
taking  presently  notice  of  their  wicked  ways  (Prov.  1  :  24-33). 


COMMENTARY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

TITLES    OP    THE   PROPHET — POWER   AND    MAJESTY    OF.  JESUS 
CHRIST THE    MYSTERY    OF   THE    SEVEN    CHURCHES. 


"Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep 
those  tilings  which  are  written  therein :  for  the  lime  is  at  hand." — Rev.  1  :  3. 

The  first  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Revelation,  whicli  is  like  an 
exordium  of  all  the  prophecy,  declares  that  this  Revelation  pro- 
ceeds from  God,  and  that,  ''  Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they 
that  hear  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which 
are  written  therein;"  therefore  it  is  important  to  read  it,  and 
meditate  upon  it.  It  is* all  grand  and  majestic;  it  is  all  worthy  of 
the  great  revelations  which  are  to  be  laid  down  and  explained 
before  us,  Jesus  Christ,  the  source  of  grace  and  peace,  and  the 
author  of  our  salvation,  appears  there  with  his  different  titles ;  and 
in  a  subHme  apparition,  he  is  clothed  with  the  emblems  of  the 
power  that  he  will  exert  in  the  seven  different  ages  of  the  universal 
Church,  represented  by  the  seven  spirits,  which  are  the  same  spirit 
operating  variously  in  these  seven  ages,  and  by  the  seven  churches 
of  Asia  Minor,  to  which  this  prophecy  is  addressed. 

V.  1-3.  "  The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  God  gave  unto  him,  to 
show  unto  his  servants  things  w^hich  must  shortly  come  to  pass;  and  he  sent 
and  signified  it  by  his  angel  unto  his  servant  John,  who  bare  record  of  the 
word  of  God,  and  of  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  all  things  that  he 
saw.  Blessed  is  he  that  readeth,  and  they  that  hear  the  words  of  this 
prophecy,  and  keep  those  things  which  are  written  therein,  for  the  time  is 
at  hand." 

The  knowledge  of  future  events  belongs  to  God  alone.  All  ages 
are  before  him,  and  all  the  events  which  come  to  pass,  being  set  in 
order  before  him  from  eternity,  unite  to  accomplish  his  glorious 

2 


14  C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y, 

purpose  and  eternal  decrees.  He  can  raise  up,  as  he  pleases,  either 
a  hardened  Pharaoh,  to  show  his  power,  or  a  Nebuchadnezzar,  to 
punish  the  sins  of  his  people,  or  a  Luther  and  a  Calvin,  to  remove 
the  darkness  of  this  world,  to  purify  his  Church,  and  revive  his 
people,  in  giving  honor  and  glory  to  the  word  of  his  grace  and 
power. 

The  future  is  surrounded  with  an  impenetrable  veil  for  mortal 
eyes,  and  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  see  through  this  dark  veil,  or  to 
reach  beyond  the  compass  of  the  present,  unless  it  pleases  God  to 
unveil  it  before  our  eyes.  Blessed  be  our  God  !  the  veil  has  been 
removed,  and  the  things  which  belong  to  our  peace  and  eternal 
hopes,  have  been  revealed  to  his  servant  John,  who  has  fulfilled,  in 
the  Church  of  God,  the  three  principal  offices  of  an  apostle,  of 
evangelist,  and  prophet.  There  are  blessings  promised  to  those 
who  read  this  book;  let  no  one,  then,  neglect  the  reading  of  this 
Revelation,  under  the  pretence  that  it  is  obscure,  or  that  many  have 
abused  its  mysterious  emblems  :  men  abuse  everything.  The  reason 
for  which  it  is  of  the  greatest  consequence  for  us  to  read  this  book, 
and  keep  the  things  which  are  revealed  to  us  in  this  prophecy,  is 
that,  '^  the  time  is  at  hand,"  not  of  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord, 
but  of  the  scourges  by  which  God  will  visit  his  enemies,  in  all 
ages,  to  the  event  called  ''the  great  day  of  the  Lord."  Therefore, 
our  interest  is  to  stay  far  from  his  enemies,  whatever  may  be  their 
rank  and  power  in  this  world;  and  it  is  by  the  reading  of  this  book 
that  we  shall  know  them,  and  shall  escape  /rom  their  ruin. 

V.  4-6.  "John  to  the  seven  churches  which  are  in  Asia:  Grace  be  unto 
you,  and  peace,  from  him  which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to  come ; 
and  from  the  seven  spirits  which  are  before  his  throne ;  and  from  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  the  faithful  witness,  and  the  first-begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the 
prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth.  Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and 
his  Father,  to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen." 

Though  the  prophet  be  the  beloved  disciple  of  the  Lord,  having 
reclined  in  his  bosom,  and  followed  him  to  the  foot  of  the  cross, 
where  he  received  his  last  words,  and  was  intrusted  with  the  care 
of  his  mother — though  an  apostle,  evangelist,  and  prophet,  he  does 
not  assume  the  title  of  a  prince  of  the  Church — he  calls  himself 
simply  ''John."  All  that  he  says  of  himself  (v.  2,  9),  is  that  he  is 
a  servant  of  Jesus,  a  witness  of  the  truth  of  his  word,  a  brother 
and  a  companion  of  all  Christians  in  tribulation,  in  the  kingdom 
and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ.  Peter  himself,  who  has  been  made 
"a  prince  of  the  apostles,"  after  the  famous  text,  "Thou  art  Peter" 
(Matt.  IG  :  18),  which  ambition  forbids  to  understand  according  to 
its  true  signification,  takes  only  the  title  of  "Peter,  an  apostle," 


COMMENTARY. 


15 


and  an  "elder/'  as  the  others,  and  "a  witness  of  the  sufferings  of 
Christ."  All  the  pompous  titles  of  "Pontiff,  Prince,  Cardinal, 
Pope,"  were  only  assumed  in  the  Church,  when  she  had  been  in- 
vaded by  corruption;  and  the  title  of  "Lord"  (Monseigneur),  was 
even  unknown  in  the  Church  before  Louis  XIV.,  when  the  French 
bishops,, at  the  imitation  of  this  king,  who  gave  this  title  to  his  son, 
called  one  another  "Monseigneur,"  that  is,  My  lord.  It  was  in 
vain  that  people  laughed  at  their  vanity;  they  knew  that  this  title 
would  be  consecrated  and  revered  with  time,  like  the  other  assump- 
tions of  their  Church. 

All  our  blessings  come  from  Grod,  the  Father,  from  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  from  the  Holy  Grhost.  The  word  "^race"  means 
forgiveness,  favor.  The  malefactor,  condemned  by  the  law,  receives 
a  grace  when  he  is  forgiven  by  the  chief  of  the  state.  He  who  can 
do  nothing  of  himself,  and  receives  from  the  fulness  of  Him  who  is 
almighty,  the  means  and  power  to  accomplish  everything,  receives 
also  a  grace,  a  favor.  Such  is  the  meaning  of  this  word.  As 
sinners,  under  the  curse  of  God,  we  want  this  grace  to  obtain  mercy, 
to  be  holy,  and  to  become  partakers  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  not 
by  our  deeds,  but  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  (Rom. 
5  :  12-21.) 

The  fruit  of  this  grace  is  ^^ peace.''  As  soon  as  our  hearts  have 
been  filled  with  faith,  as  with  a  precious  perfume,  the  tears  of  re- 
pentance begin  to  flow.  We  love  Grod,  his  word,  his  people,  his 
Church  and  holy  Sabbaths.  Our  revolt  against  God  and  his  com- 
mands ceases,  and  peace  reigns  within  us,  in  our  families  and  with 
our  fellow-mortals:  we  enjoy  peace  even  when  we  encounter  death, 
the  king  of  terrors.  From  that  peace  springs  the  calm  of  the  soul, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

These  blessings,  granted  to  us  in  consequence  of  the  plan  of 
salvation,  decreed  by  the  blessed  Trinity  before  the  foundation  of 
this  world,  are  obtained  from  God  the  Father,  as  the  fountain  and 
author  of  every  blessing ;  from  the  Son,  who,  after  having  fulfilled 
and  magnified  the  law,  suffered  death  and  hell  in  our  stead  on  the 
cross;  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  continues  the  work  of  our 
Redeemer,  through  his  divine  agency,  disposing  our  hearts  and 
minds  to  accept  with  joy  this  plan  of  salvation,  and  to  be  faithful 
unto  death.  The  Father  is  represented  as  the  eternal  Jehovah, 
one  with  the  Son,  "which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to 
come,"  being  eternally  the  same  gracious  and  merciful  God.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  called  here  "the  seven  spirits,"  for  the  diversity  of 
his  gifts,  and  for  the  seven  churches  of  Asia,  which  he  will  guide, 
in  a  different  manner,  according  to  the  different  condition  of  the 
Church,  in  the  seven  ages  of  which  they  are  the  types.     The  Son 


16  COMMENTARY. 

is  called  'Hhe  fliitliful  witness,  and  first  begotten  of  the  dead;  and 
the  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth.'' 

1.  He  is  "the  faithful  witness/'  because  the  Son,  which  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  and  who  was  the  bright  image  of  God,  has 
faithfully  revealed  unto  us  his  will  and  eternal  purpose.  2.  '^The 
first  begotten  of  the  dead,"  because  he  triumphed  over  death  by 
his  resun-ection  from  the  dead,  having  bruised  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent in  his  own  dominion ;  and,  as  he  arose  from  the  dead,  so 
his  redeemed  people  shall  rise  up  in  the  same  manner,  having  the 
promise  of  eternal  life.  He  is  called  also  "the  first-born,"  to  indi- 
cate that  to  him  belong  all  the  blessings  which,  according  to  the 
ancient  usages  of  people,  appertained  by  birthright  to  the  first-born. 
3.  "The  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,"  because  he  overrules  all 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world  by  his  providence,  until  they  shall  be 
broken  in  pieces  and  consumed,  that  his  kingdom  should  be  set 
up  on  their  ruins.  He  was  arrayed  as  a  mock-king,  having  a 
purple  robe  on  him,  and  a  crown  of  thorns  on  his  head,  when 
Pilate  brought  him  forth  unto  the  Jews ;  but  in  the  great  day  of 
the  Lord,  when  the  kingdoms,  represented  by  the  toes  of  the  feet 
of  the  great  image  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  which  were  composed  of 
iron  mixed  with  miry  clay  (the  civil  power  mixed  with  an  earthly  re- 
ligion, Dan.  2  :  27-45),  shall  be  broken,  at  the  battle  of  Armaged- 
don, he  shall  have  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written, 
*a^ing  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords."  (Rev.  16  ri6;  19  :  11-21.) 

"Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his 
blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his 
Father,  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever."  1.  He  loved 
us.  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us, 
and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins.  The  same 
exclaims  with  astonishment,  "Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of 
God."  God  commendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we 
were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.  "  He  washed  us  from  our  sins 
in  his  blood."  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanscth  us  from  all  sin;  and 
all  the  saints  who  surround  the  throne  of  God  have  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  It  is  this 
good  news  which  the  Apostles  were  commissioned  to  preach  through- 
out the  world.  "To  him,"  says  Peter,  "give  all  the  prophets  wit- 
ness, that  through  his  name  whosoever  believcth  in  him  shall  receive 
remission  of  sins."  "And  by  him,"  says  Paul,  "all  that  believe 
are  justified  from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  justified 
by  the  law  of  Moses."  (Acts  10:  43;  13:  38;  26:18;  Luke  24:  47.) 
The  Apostles  were  sent  to  the  Gentiles,  not  to  give  them  the  abso- 
lution of  their  sins  in  a  tribunal  of  confession,  but  to  preach  them, 


COMMENTARY.  17 

in  the  name  of  Jesus,  repentance  and  remission  of  sins ;  to  open 
tlieir  eyes;  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  to  God,  that  they  might  receive  forgiveness  of  sins,  and 
inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith.  When  it  is 
said  (Matt.  18  :  18),  '' Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be 
bound  in  heaven ;  and  whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be 
loosed  in  heaven,"  these  words  are  addressed,  not  to  a  priest,  but  to 
all  the  members  of  a  particular  church,  who  receive  or  reject  a  pro- 
fessed Christian,  reproved  for  his  sins,  according  to  his  submission 
or  resistance  to  the  judgment  of  this  Christian  assembly,  whose 
judgment  shall  be  sanctioned  in  heaven.  The  Roman  Church  has 
corrupted  the  foundation  of  Christianity,  by  substituting  for  this 
grace,  which  Grod  grants  to  repentant  sinners,  a  confession  made  to 
a  man,  from  whom  they  are  to  receive  an  absolution.  Confession, 
invented  in  627,  in  a  synod  composed  of  fifty-two  bishops,  at 
Chalons-on-the-Marne  (France),  was  then  imposed  only  upon  the 
monks,  and  upon  the  priests  in  the  eighth  century,  and  finally  on 
the  laymen  in  1215.  It  is  one  of  these  burdens  of  slavery,  of 
which  Paul  (Col.  2  :  16-23)  admonishes  Christians  to  beware, — 
which,  under  the  appearance  of  good,  have  taught  impurity  to  youth, 
inspired  contempt  for  the  religion  of  Jesus,  and  propagated  infidelity 
in  all  ranks  of  society. 

3.  ''  He  has  made  us  kings  and  priests.'^  God  says  of  the  Jews, 
^^  Ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  an  holy  nation ;" 
and  of  Christians  it  is  said,  '^  Ye,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a 
spiritual  house,  an  holy  priesthood,  to  ofi"er  up  spiritual  sacrifices, 
acceptable  to  Grod  by  Jesus  Christ.''  (1  Peter  2  :  5-9.)  He  has 
made  us  kings  in  receiving  us  by  adoption,  instead  of  sons  and 
daughters  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
As  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  must  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith, 
to  overcome  sin,  Satan,  and  the  world;  for  it  would  be  unbecoming 
for  kings  and  sons  of  kings  to  lead  a  sinful  life,  and  to  be  the  vile 
slaves  of  Satan.  Christians'  lives  must  be  pure,  noble,  and  holy. 
He  made  us  priests,  not  to  offer  sacrifices,  as  the  Jewish  priests,  for 
they  ceased  at  his  coming  (Dan.  9  :  27);  and  we  have  but  a  holy 
high  priest,  Jesus,  who  was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many; 
and  we  are  sanctified  through  the  offering  of  his  body,  once  for  all 
(Heb.  10  :  10);  but  to  offer  to  God  spiritual  sacrifices,  the  incense 
of  our  prayers  and  supplications,  and  to  show  forth  the  praises  of 
him  who  hath  called  us  out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light. 
Jesus  Christ  established  in  his  church  apostles,  prophets,  evan- 
gelists, pastors,  and  teachers,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ 
(Eph.  4  :  11,  12);  but  there  is  no  other  priest,  no  sacrificator,  than 

2* 


18  COMMENTARY. 

himself,  and  no  other  sacrifice  than  the  sacrifice  of  himself  on  the/ 
cross,  once  for  all  (Heb.  7  :  23-29).  The  Greek  word  ^'j€ros,"x 
which  means  a  priest,  is  only  employed  three  or  four  times  in  the 
New  Testament ;  and  it  is  applied,  not  to  a  privileged  class  of  men 
among  their  brethren,  as  were  the  Lcvites  among  the  Jews,  but  to 
all  Christians  in  general.  Consequently,  the  popish  priesthood  is 
a  daring  usurpation  of  the  priesthood  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  the  un- 
bloody sacrifice,  which  its  priests  offer  daily  for  money,  for  the  quick 
and  dead,  is  but  a  criminal  parody  of  the  sacrifice  of  our  Lord;  and 
whoever  attends  such  a  sacrilegious  sacrifice  is  partaker  of  the  sins 
of  these  new  Korahs,  Dathans,  and  Abirams.  As  we  are  indebted 
to  our  Lord  for  our  redemption  and  privileges,  let  us  ascribe  to  him 
glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

V.  7,  8.  "Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds;  and  every  eye  shall  see  him, 
and  they  also  which  pierced  him:  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail 
because  of  him.  Even  so,  Amen.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning 
and  the  ending,  saith  the  Lord,  which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to 
come,  the  Almighty." 

The  prophet,  with  his  prophetic  eye,  sees  already  the  coming  of 
our  Lord  with  the  clouds  (political  storm),  in  that  day  called  -'  The 
great  day  of  the  Lord,''  when  he  shall  strike  through  kings  in  the 
day  of  his  wrath,  and  shall  wound  the  head  (popery)  over  many 
countries  (19  :  11—21).  Every  eye  shall  see  him  in  his  glory  and 
power ;  and  they  also  which  pierced  him  :  the  Jews  who  put  him 
to  death — the  infidels  and  scornful,  who  boasted  to  be  freethinkers 
— the  hypocrites  and  traitors,  who  have  dishonored  the  Christian 
name,  shall  see  him ;  and,  in  their  confusion  and  distress,  shall 
wail  because  of  him.  Even  so.  Amen  :  It  is  the  expectation  of  all 
his  people.  AVho  could  prevent  his  triumph  over  his  enemies? 
He  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega — a  metaphor  taken  from  the  first  and 
the  last  letter  of  the  Greek  alphabet,  to  signify  that  he  is  the 
beginning  and  the  ending — the  eternal  God,  which  is,  and  which 
was,  and  which  is  to  come,  the  Almighty. 

These  last  words  are  pronounced  by  Jesus  Christ  himself,^as  to 
ratify  the  words  spoken  by  the  prophet.  This  revelation  is  like  a 
notarial  deed.  In  the  beginning,  the  prophet  explains  what  are 
his  titles  and  his  commission,  as  would  do  a  notary.  In  the  last 
chapter,  from  the  fifth  to  the  last  verse,  Jesus,  as  the  angel  of  the 
covenant  giving  mission  to  his  prophet,  and  the  bride  and  the 
spirit,  as  witnesses,  are  speaking  by  turns,  as  to  sign,  approve,  and 
ratify,  as  it  were,  all  the  words,  written  by  the  prophet  in  this  pro- 
phetic deed,  signifying,  by  that,  that  all  the  things  spoken  of  in 
this  revelation,  are  decreed  by  the  Almighty,  and  that  they  shall 


COMMENTARY.  19 

certainly  come  to  pass  as  they  are  foretold  by  the  prophet,  who  has 
received  his  mission  from  God  himself. 

V.  9-11.  "  I,  John,  who  also  am  your  brother,  and  companion  in  tribula- 
tion, and  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  in  the  isle  that  is 
called  Patmos,  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ.  I 
was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  heard  behind  me  a  great  voice,  as 
of  a  trumpet,  saying,  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  first  and  the  last,  and,  what 
thou  seest,  write  in  a  book  and  send  it  unto  the  seven  churches,  which  are 
in  Asia;  unto  Ephesus,  and  imto  Smyrna,  and  unto  Pergamos,  and  unto 
Thyatira,  and  unto  Sardis,  and  unto  Philadelphia,  and  unto  Laodicea." 

The  most  favored  Christian  is  but  the  first  among  his  brethren, 
and  the  servant  of  aH.  If  the  prophet  boast  of  anything,  it  is  that 
he  is  the  brother  of  all  Christians,  their  companion  in  tribulation, 
in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of  Je.sus  Christ.  1.  The  kingdom  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  that  glorious  kingdom  of  grace,  and  peace,  and  joy, 
which  the  Grod  of  heaven  shall  set  up,  and  which  shall  consume 
and  break  in  pieces  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth — and  this  king- 
dom, in  which  there  shall  be  any  more,  neither  death,  neither 
sorrow,  nor  crying;  neither  pain,  nor  tears,  shall  stand  forever. 
(Dan.  2  :  44.)  The  gospel  is  the  law  of  this  kingdom,  Jesus  is 
the  King,  and  his  redeemed  are  the  subjects  of  this  everlasting 
kingdom.  2.  Companion  in  tribulation.  Christians  must  go 
through  trials,  afflictions,  and  persecutions,  from  this  world  into  the 
heavenly  kingdom.  For  whom  the  liord  lovcth,  he  chasteneth, 
and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  he  receiveth  (Heb.  12  :  6-11 ;  Am. 
4  :  6-13);  afflictions  are  like  the  troubled  waters  of  the  pool  of 
Bethesda ;  they  cure  those  who  are  thrown  into  them ;  but  then, 
Jesus  is  like  the  wood  by  which  the  bitter  waters  became  sweet. 
3.  The  patience  of  Jesus  Christ.  Patience  is  the  art  of  suffering, 
and  waiting  with  an  undaunted  courage  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  promises.  The  seed,  cast  in  the  ground  by  the  husbandman, 
springs  up  and  blossoms  before  yielding  any  fruit;  the  husbandman 
waits  patiently  for  the  fruit  of  his  labors.  He  does  not  cut  a  tree, 
because  it  is  first  covered  with  leaves  and  flowers,  before  giving 
him  ripe  fruit.  But  the  impatient  man  is  unable  to  wait,  and  to 
overcome  the  obstacles  which  he  encounters  on  his  way.  Christians 
must  wait  with  patience  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  promises, 
which  become  more  and  more  sure,  in  proportion  as  they  advance 
to  the  end  of  their  course.  If  they  find  thorns  and  rocks  in  their 
way,  they  must  look  unto  their  Master,  who  is  crowned  with  thorns, 
and  oppressed  under  the  heavy  burden  of  his  cross.  They  must 
expect  to  take  it  and  bear  it,  in  their  turn,  if  such  is  the  will  of  the 
Master;  and  whatever  may  be  their  trial,  either  in  their  family,  or 
in  persecutions,  in  dungeons  and  at  the  stake,  they  must  be  faithful 


20  CO  M  M E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

unto  death.  Jolin,  the  prophet  and  beloved  of  the  Lord,  waits  with 
patience  for  deliverance  from  his  sufferings,  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos, 
one  of  the  Cyclades,  in  the  iEgean  Sea,  where  he  had  been  banished, 
in  94,  by  the  Emperor  Domitian. 

"  I  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day."  John  Jacques,  an 
infidel  of  the  last  century,  did  not  deny  the  existence  of  prophecies. 
He  supposed  that  some  persons,  having  their  imagination  excited 
by  fastings  and  watchings,  could  be  exalted  to  such  a  degree  as  to 
discover  the  future.  On  that  account,  he  assimilated  prophecy  to 
the  illumination  of  a  fanatic  person,  and  to  the  extravagance  or 
frenzy  of  a  heated  imagination.  If  such  is  the  true  origin  of 
prophecy,  infidels  must  be  satisfied  that  none  of  them  has  ever  been 
a  prophet,  to  foretell  the  vain  attempt  of  their  systems,  either  to 
explain  the  mysteries  of  this  world  or  to  destroy  Christianity. 
John  was  in  the  Spirit,  that  is,  his  spirit  was,  as  it  were,  free  from 
the  body  through  the  powerful  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
established  a  close  relation  between  him  and  God;  and  this  favor 
was  granted  to  him,  not  because  his  imagination  had  been  heated 
by  fastings  and  watchings,  but  because  he  was  a  faithful  servant  of 
the  Lord,  bearing  his  cross  with  love  and  patience,  as  all  the 
prophets  of  old.  "It  was  on  the  Lord's  day,"  or  the  great  day 
appointed  to  celebrate  the  triumph  of  the  Lord  over  death,  and  his 
rest,  after  having  accomplished  the  great  work  of  our  redemption. 
This  day  was  substituted  for  the  Jewish  sabbath,  b}^  the  Master  of 
the  Sabbath  himself.  He  raised  up  from  the  dead,  the  same  day 
— he  appeared  to  his  disciples — he  sent  them  the  Holy  Ghost — and 
the  gates  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  were  opened  the  same  day,  by 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  We  find  it  celebrated,  instead  of  the 
Sabbath,  by  the  apostles  (Acts  20  :  6-7;  Col.  2  :  16-17),  and  Paul 
says:  "Let  no  man  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect 
of  an  holy  day,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath  days,  which 
are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come."  This  day,  instituted,  by  the  in- 
stitutors  of  Christianity,  is  the  true  antitype  of  the  trumpet  of  the 
ancient  jubilee,  proclaiming  salvation  and  liberty.  It  is  not  of  the 
consecration  of  the  first  instead  of  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  as 
of  the  errors  of  the  Roman  Church.  Though  we  have  no  positive 
order  for  this  substitution,  we  find  its  institution  in  the  Bible,  whilst 
the  traditions  of  the  Iloman  Church  are  condemned  there,  and  the 
records  of  their  inventions  are  written  in  the  annals  of  history. 

The  prophet  heard  a  great  voice  "  as  of  a  trumpet,  saying,  I  am 
Alpha  and  Omega."  This  voice  is  that  of  Jesus  himself,  taking, 
as  previously,  the  titles  of  Alpha  and  Omega,  meaning  the  first  and 
the  last,  the  Eternal  .Jehovah.  His  voice  is  piercing  as  the  sound 
of  a  trumpet,  because,  at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh   trumpet, 


COMMENT  AH  Y.  21 

when  the  seventh  vial  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  is  contained  in 
that  trumpet,  shall  be  poured  out  with  its  dregs  upon  his  enemies, 
his  glorious  name  and  power  shall  be  proclaimed  with  magnificence, 
and  his  kingdom  established  forever.  He  orders  the  Prophet  to 
write  in  a  book  the  things  which  he  will  show  him,  and  to  send  it 
unto  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor,  whose  names  are  the  types 
of  seven  different  states  or  ages  of  the  Church. 

V.  12-16.  "And  I  turned  to  see  tlie  voice  that  spake  with  me.  And 
being  turned,  I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
candlesticks,  one  like  unto  the  son  of  man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to 
the  foot,  and  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle.  His  head  and  his 
hairs  were  white  like  v/ool,  as  white  as  snow ;  and  his  eyes  tvere  as  a  flame 
of  fire;  and  his  feet  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in  a  furnace;  and 
his  voice  as  the  sound  of  many  waters.  And  he  had  in  his  right  hand  seven 
stars;  and  out  of  his  mouth  went  a  sharp  two-edged  sword;  and  his  counte- 
nance ivas  as  the  sun  shinetli  in  his  strength." 

The  sublimity  of  this  glorious  apparition  of  our  Lord  cannot  be 
equalled  by  any  invention  of  men.  Had  not  Jesus  been  before  the 
eyes  of  the  Prophet,  no  human  imagination  could  have  invented 
such  details,  and  described  them  with  so  much  accuracy,  simplicity, 
and  sublimity.  He  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks,  wliich  are  the 
seven  churches,  and  which  represent  the  spiritual  light,  which  they 
shall  shed  in  the  seven  ages,  of  which  the  seven  churches  are  the 
types.  In  the  midst  of  the  seven  candlesticks,  he  saw  ''one  like 
unto  the  son  of  man ;"  but  what  a  difference  he  observes  in  his 
magnificence,  and  in  the  emblems  of  his  strength  and  power !  He 
was  ''clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  foot,"  as  King  and  Lord 
of  lords  (Is.  6  : 1-7).  He  was  "  girt  about  the  paps  with  a  golden 
girdle,"  indicating  the  truth  of  the  prophecy  which  he  is  about  to 
reveal,  and  the  righteousness  and  faithfulness,  with  which  he  main- 
tains the  cause  of  his  people  (Eph.  6  :  14;  Is.  11  :  5).  "His 
head  and  hairs  were  white  as  snow,"  not  as  signs  of  old  age,  but 
to  shoAV  that  he  is  the  Ancient  of  days  (Dan.  7  :  9—14 ;  10 ;  5-12). 
"  His  eyes  were  as  a  fiame  of  fire,"  indicating  his  wrath  against 
the  enemies  of  his  church,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  hearts  and 
thoughts  of  men.  "  His  feet  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they 
burned  in  a  furnace,"  represent  his  strong  and  irresistible  power, 
to  destroy  his  enemies  and  sustain  the  interests  of  his  people. 
''  His  voice  as  the  sound  of  ?nany  waters,"  shows  the  energy  of  his 
word  to  save  or  destroy.  The  voice  of  his  words,  says  Daniel 
(10 :  6"),  is  like  the  voice  of  a  multitude ;  for  he  speaks,  and  the 
nations,  figured  by  the  waters  (17  :  15),  unite  together  to  destroy 
his  enemies,  and  in  their  wrath  their  voices  are  like  the  roaring  of 
the  sea.     "  He  had  in  his  right  hand,  seven  stars,"  which  repre- 


22  CO  M  31  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

sent  the  seven  anc^els  or  pastors,  of  tlie  cburclies  of  the  different 
ages  of  his  church.  "And  out  of  his  mouth  went  a  sharp  two- 
edged  sword,"  which  is  the  emblem  of  his  word  (Heb.  4 :  12-13), 
like  a  sharp  sword,  with  which  he  shall  slay  the  nations  in  the 
great  day  of  God  Almighty.  "  His  countenance  was,  as  when  the 
sun  shineth  in  his  strength,"  indicating  that,  after  having  broken 
his  enemies  in  pieces,  he  shall  shine,  at  the  sight  of  all  the  earth, 
with  all  his  glory  and  majesty,  as  the  sun  of  righteousness,  en- 
lightening and  vivifying  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Mark  that 
each  of  these  characters,  with  which  he  is  clothed  in  this  sublime 
apparition,  shall  be  manifested  in  each  of  the  ages  of  the  Church, 
figured  by  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor. 

V,  17-19.  "  And  when  I  saw  him,  I  fell  at  his  feet  as  dead.  And  he  laid 
his  right  hand  upon  me,  saying  unto  me,  Fear  not;  I  am  the  first  and  the 
last:  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead;  and,  behold,  I  am  alive  for  ever- 
more, Amen;  and  have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death.  Write  the  things 
which  thou  hast  seen,  and  the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall 
be  hereafter." 

Whatever  may  be  the  power  and  glory  of  Jesus,  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  have  nothing  to  fear.  Fear  not,  I  am  the  jBrst  and  the 
last,  the  Eternal  God.  "Write  the  things  which  thou  hast  seen, 
and  the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter." 
1.  The  things,  which  he  hath  seen,  are  the  sublime  apparition  of 
Jesus  clothed  with  power  and  glory  and  majesty,  giving  him  the 
commission  to  write  this  prophecy.  2.  "  The  things  which  are," 
are  Christianity  as  it  has  been  first  established,  and  the  Homan 
pagan  empire,  opposing  Christianity.  3.  "And  the  things  which 
shall  be  hereafter,"  arc  the  destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire.  The 
great  apostacy  of  the  lloman  Church,  setting  up  an  image  of  this 
pagan  Roman  Empire,  whose  provinces  shall  become  kingdoms,  the 
kings  of  which  shall  be  as  vassals  of  popery.  The  persecutions  of 
Christians  under  this  new  form  of  a  pagan  empire.  The  scourges 
by  which  it  shall  be  destroyed,  and  the  final  triumph  of  the  Church 
over  her  enemies.  Let  Christians  be  faithful  unto  death,  the 
things  which  the  Lord  is  to  reveal  to  his  churches  shall  certainly 
come  to  pass;  for  he  says:  "I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead; 
and,  behold,  I  am  alive  forever  more,  and  have  the  keys  of  hell 
and  of  death."  I  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  my  churches  in  their 
trials  and  tribulation  ;  I  shall  know  their  faithfulness,  their  luke- 
warmiiess,  and  backslidings.  Let  them  be  not  afraid  of  death  ;  of 
the  anathemas  of  their  enemies ;  for  I  am  God ;  I  have  been  put  to 
death  and  have  overcome  death  in  his  dominion ;  I  have  the  keys 
of  hell  and  of  death ;  it  is  I  who  save  and  destroy,  and  I  will  give 


COMMENTARY. 


to  my  servants  eternal  life  ]  and  tliough  men  will  condemn  tliem  to 
hell,  I  will  receive  tliem  into  my  glorious  kingdom  and  have  them 
to  sit  with  me  on  the  thrones  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. 


o 


V.  20.  "  The  mystery  of  the  seven  stars  which  thou  sawest  in  my  right 
hand,  and  the  seven  golden  candlesticks.  The  seven  stars  are  the  angels  of 
the  seven  churches;  and  the  seven  candlesticks  which  thou  sawest  are  the 
seven  churches." 

This  verse  is  connected  with  the  preceding,  and  it  is  like  an 
explanation  of  the  words  :  ''  Write  the  things  which  thou  hast  seen, 
and  the  things  which  are,  and  the  things  which  shall  be  hereafter; 
the  mystery  of  the  seven  stars."  That  is,  the  things  which  are  and 
shall  be,  are  typified,  represented  by  the  mystery  of  the  seven 
stars,  "  Which  thou  sawest  in  my  right  hand,  and  the  seven  can- 
dlesticks." The  mystery  of  the  seven  stars  and  of  the  seven  golden 
candlesticks  does  not  consist  in  their  representing  the  seven 
churches  of  Asia  and  their  angels  or  bishops ;  but,  it  consists  in 
their  typifying  seven  distinct  periods  or  ages  of  the  Church — the 
things  that  are  and  shall  be — before  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  as  it 
is  clearly  indicated  by  this  admonition,  addressed  not  to  one  parti- 
cular church,  but  to  all  the  churches.  "  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let 
him  hear  what  the  spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."  Besides  this, 
there  are  several  characters,  in  every  epistle,  addressed  to  the 
churches,  which  can  in  no  wise  be  applied  to  them,  whilst  they 
present  to  us  a  faithful  picture  of  the  different  states  of  the  uni- 
versal Church ;  and  they  are  like  the  canvas,  which  the  painter 
has  prepared,  and  upon  which  the  picture  of  events  is  to  be  drawn. 
These  letters  thus  explained,  preserve  the  unity  of  the  Revelation, 
which  does  not  exist,  if  they  are  exclusively  applied  to  the 
churches  of  Asia.  And  again,  the  texts  declare  positively  that  the 
mystery  of  the  stars  and  candlesticks,  representing  the  churches 
and  their  bishops,  consists  in  giving  us  a  picture  of  the  things 
which  the  prophet  has  seen,  and  which  are  and  shall  be  hereafter. 
Therefore  any  other  exposition  of  the  seven  churches  is  erroneous, 
as  it  will  be  seen  in  the  exposition  of  the  seven  letters.  The  ob- 
jections against  their  interpretation  have  no  other  ground,  than  the 
wrong  explanation  of  their  emblems,  and  the  false  classification  of 
the  periods  which  they  represent. 


24  COMMENTARY. 


CHAPTER    11. 


LETTERS  TO  THE  ANGELS  OF  THE  CHURCHES  OF  EPHESUS 

SMYRNA PERGAMOS  AND  THYATIRA. 

/.   The  Church  of  Ephcsns,  a  type  of  the  state  of  the  Church,  front  the  founda- 
tion of  Christianity  to  the  Diocletian  Persecution  in  303. 

V.  1-7.  "  Unto  the  angel  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus  write,  These  things 
saith  he  that  holdeth  the  seven  stars  in  his  right  hand,  who  walketh  in  the 
midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks  ;  I  know  thy  works,  and  thy  labor, 
and  thy  patience,  and  how  thou  canst  not  bear  them  which  are  evil ;  and 
thou  hast  tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles,  and  are  not,  and  hast  found 
them  liars;  and  hast  borne,  and  hast  patience,  and  for  my  name's  sake  hast 
labored,  and  hast  not  fainted.  Novertlieless,  I  have  somewhat  against  thee, 
because  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love.  Remember  therefore  from  whence 
thou  art  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  the  first  works;  or  else  I  will  come  unto 
thee  quickly,  and  will  remove  thy  candlestick  out  of  his  place,  except  thou 
repent.  But  this  thou  hast,  that  thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitanes, 
which  I  also  hate.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith 
unto  the  Churches ;  to  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  tree  of 
life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of  (jlod." 

As  the  names  of  places,  cities,  and  persons  were  significative, 
among  the  ancients,  and  especially  among  the  Hebrews,  and  re- 
minded some  events,  as  the  names  of  Abraham,  of  Israel  (Gen.  17 : 
4-5;  32  :  28),  so  the  names  of  the  seven  churches,  to  which  the 
letters  were  addressed,  have  been  chosen  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  be- 
cause they  represent  by  their  Greek  etymology,  the  character  of 
every  age,  which  is  typified  by  the  names  of  the  churches.  The 
name  '' Ephesus,"  from  the  Greek  "Ephesis,"  means "  desire,"  and 
characterizes  consequently  a  church  such  as  Jesus  Christ  desires 
that  she  should  be;  were  it  not  for  the  reproaches  which  are  spe- 
cified in  the  letter.  This  church  is  the  type  of  the  primitive 
Church  so  far  as  to  303,  and  includes  the  events  which  are  coinci- 
dent to  those  which  are  contained  in  the  four  first  seals  (G  :  1-8). 

1.  "  Jesus  holdeth  the  seven  stars,"  (the  pastors  of  his  Church) 
in  his  right  hand,  giving  them  understanding  and  wisdom  accord- 
ing to  their  circumstances,  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
if  they  are  faithful ;  for  he  walketh  in  the  midst  of  the  churches, 
as  the  good  Shepherd  of  souls,  as  he  promises  his  disciples  to  be 
with  them  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  He  protects 
them  from  devouring  wolves ;  and,  if  any  one  hurts  them,  he  has 


COMMENTARY.  2o 

his  bow  to  pierce  the  adversaries  in  the  day  of  his  vengeance.  The 
civil  wars  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  cruel  Neros  and  Caligulas, 
the  famine  and  pestilence  which  wasted  this  empire,  were  as  many 
scourges,  by  which  he  avenged  the  blood  of  his  martyrs.  2.  The 
good  Shepherd  knows  the  works,  and  labors,  and  patience  of  the 
churches  during  the  persecutions  by  which  they  were  tried.  Chris- 
tians, instead  of  being  afraid  of  death,  rejoiced  that  they  had  been 
judged  worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  Many  a  time,  their  calm 
and  firmness  in  the  midst  of  torments,  wearied  their  bloody  execu- 
tioners; and  many  a  time  the  pagan  witness  of  so  noble  heroism 
exclaimed:  "And  I  also  am  a  Christian!"  Hence  it  was  said 
that  the  blood  of  martyrs  was  a  seed  of  Christians.  Their  zeal  for 
the  glory  of  their  Master  was  such  that  the  greater  part  of  the  vast 
Roman  Empire  had  become  Christians,  at  the  end  of  the  third 
century.  3.  "Thou  hast  tried  them  which  say  they  are  apostles, 
and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them  liars."  When  the  Jews  and 
the  heathens  became  Christians,  they  refused  to  renounce  entirely 
the  prejudices  of  their  religion  and  the  errors  of  their  former 
education ;  hence  originated  the  struggles  which  the  primitive 
Church  had  to  sustain  against  the  false  apostles. 

The  writings  of  the  apostles  teach  us  that  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin,  that  we  are  saved  by  grace  and  not 
by  works  ;  but  the  Jewish  doctors  maintained  that  works  are  the 
efficient  cause  of  salvation  and  eternal  felicity.  Plato's  followers 
taught  their  philosophic  opinions, — those  of  Pythagoras  prescribed 
a  rigid  temperance, — Marcion  rejected  the  manger  and  the  cross  of 
Christ, — Valentine  added  to  the  gospel  passages  to  favor  his  errors, 
— Manes  or  Manichee  attempted  to  unite  together  Manicheism  and 
Christianity, — others  composed  new  writings,  under  the  names  of 
the  apostles,  which  they  entitled  "  Letters  or  Acts  of  the  blessed 
Peter,  Paul,  James  !"  and  such  was  the  origin  of  those  spurious 
gospels,  of  which  thirty  and  sometimes  fifty  are  reckoned  by  infi- 
dels, though  they  know  very  well  that  they  were  rejected  by  the 
primitive  Church,  like  their  authors,  as  soon  as  they  appeared. 

Nevertheless,  these  errors  did  not  interfere  with  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Church  or  the  exercise  of  brotherly  love.  x\.t  first,  the 
government  of  the  Church  was  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  elders, 
and  deacons.  The  people  elected  to  the  offices,  judged  all  cases, 
and  gave  a  final  judgment.  The  elders  were  the  council  board. 
Their  chief,  named  at  first  the  angel  of  the  church,  and  afterwards 
bishop  or  pastor,  administered  the  affairs  of  the  church,  taught  the 
people,  celebrated  the  divine  mysteries,  and  oversaw  the  relief  of 
the  poor.  To  the  deacons  was  given  the  function  of  providing  for 
the  wants  of  the  poor  and  maintaining  order  and  decency  in  the 


26  COMMENTARY. 

temples.  In  the  second  century,  they  formed  ecclesiastic  pro- 
Yihces,  Vvliieh  the  Greeks  called  "  dioceses. '^  These  provinces 
were  independent  one  of  another ;  but,  as  confederated  states,  they 
sent  delegates  to  the  assemblies  held  at  fixed  times  to  deliberate 
upon  the  common  interest  of  the  churches.  The  Greeks  called 
these  assemblies  '^ synods,''  and  the  Latins,  '^councils."  The 
laws  discussed  there  and  decreed  were  called  ^'  canons,"  or  rules 
by  which  the  whole  body  of  the  Church  ought  to  be  governed. 

As  these  assemblies  were  entirely  composed  of_^ecclesia§ties,  they 
degenerated  into  r^nions-  in  which  they  worked  to  diminish  the 
privileges  of  the  peSple,  and  to  increase  the  authority  of  the 
ministers.  4^t  first,  they  professed  to  be  the  delegates  of  the  pro- 
vinces, to  act  only  in  the  name  of  the  people  and  by  their  approba- 
tion. But  soon  after,  they  asserted  that  Jesus  Christ  had  given 
them  the  power  to  establish  rules  of  morals  and  faith.  They  de- 
stroyed even  equality  among  themselves  by  the  distinctions  of 
^'  Patriarchs  and  Metropolitans."  The  deacons  wished  to  have 
also  inferiors ;  and  they  created  what  they  called  '•  the  four  minor 
orders."  At  the  end  of  the  third  century,  the  people  had  lost 
almost  all  their  privileges.  The  councils  of  elders  were  despised 
by  the  bishops, — and  the  bishops  of  Rome,  Antioch,  Alexandria,  as 
chiefs  of  primitive  churches,  attempted  already  to  arrogate  to 
themselves  a  sort  of  pre-eminence  over  their  colleagues.  It  was  to 
quell  this  ambitious  spirit  that  Saint  Cyprian  of  Carthage  exclaimed 
afterwards  :  ''Is  it  also  written  that  there  shall  be  bishops  of 
bishops  :"  The  ambition  of  pastors  weakened  the  brotherly  love  of 
Christians,  and  it  is  the  reason  for  which  the  Lord  reproves  them 
and  invites  them  to  repentance. 

The  commentators,  who  attempt  to  apply  the  contents  of  this 
letter  to  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  are  greiitly  perplexed  to  explain 
v/hat  were  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitaues,  spoken  of  here  and  in  the 
third  letter,  v.  15.  According  to  them,  the  Nicolaitanes  were 
followers  of  Nicolas,  a  deacon  of  Antioch.  But  is  it  not  said  of 
him,  as  of  the  others,  that  he  was  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  ?  (Acts  G  :  5.)  They  say,  without  any  proof,  that  they 
were  an  avowed  sect  of  the  most  abominable  x\ntinomians,  without 
law  and  teaching  the  community  of  women.  But  history  dues  not 
speak  of  such  a  sect;  and  it  is  certain  that,  had  they  been  such 
men,  who  by  the  fact  have  no  part  with  the  people  of  God,  Jesus 
would  not  say  of  them,  as  of  people,  good  yet  in  some  respect : 
"  Bat  this  thou  hast,  that  thou  hatest  the  deeds  of  the  Nicolaitanes, 
which  I  also  hate." 

The  word  "Nicolaitanes"  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words, 
which,  according  to  their  etymology,  signify  "  Domineer  over  the 


COMMENTARY,  27 

people."  Therefore,  the  Lord  reproves,  under  this  name,  these 
ambitious  pastors,  who  had  excluded  the  people  from  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Church — who  had  created  laws  to  overrule  them  as 
they  pleased — who  attempted  to  domineer  one  over  the  other,  and 
prepared  in  this  manner  the  way  for  the  man  of  sin,  the  great 
Antichrist.  He  praises  the  churches,  because  they  hated  the 
usurpations  of  these  ambitious  men,  who,  as  the  son  of  perdition, 
exalted  themselves  above  their  brethren,  and  attempted  to  sit  as 
gods  in  the  temple  of  God  (Thess.  2  :  3-12).  The  same  word  is 
yet  found  in  the  letter  to  the  Church  of  Pergamos,  which  is  the 
type  of  the  Church,  exalted  by  the  favors  of  Constantine ;  and  there 
as  here  it  represents  the  same  ambition,  which  was  the  cause  of  the 
spiritual  death,  or  apostacy  of  the  Roman  bishop.  If  there  were 
not  a  mysterious  meaning  under  this  name,  as  in  every  letter  to  the 
churches,  the  Lord  would  not  say  immediately  after,  as  at  the  end 
of  his  parables  :  ''  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the 
Spirit  saith  uuto  the  churches.'^  Therefore,  we  want  understand- 
ing to  hear  the  sense  of  these  words,  and  nevertheless  there  is  no 
diiRculty,  if  they  are  to  be  understood  according  to  their  literal 
sense. 

The^defectjof  this  age  of  the  Church  is  the  ambition  of  eccle- 
siastics, and  the  leaving  of  the  first  love   (Acts  2  :  42—47).     To 
him  who  overcometh  this  ambitious  spirit,  and  continueth  in  the 
first  love,  the  Lord  will   give  eternal  life,  and  restore  him   in  the 
possession  of  heaven  (22  :  1-5).     If  the  churches  do  not  repent, 
he  will  remove  tlie  candlestick,  which  is  the  emblem  of  the  grace 
and  spiritual  light,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  sheds  upon  the  churches, 
from  which  men  receive  the  light  and  wisdom  which  lead  to  eternaL 
life.     They  did  not  repent.     Popery  came  out  of  the  bottomless  \ 
pit,  and  with  it  the  Middle  Age ;  and  the  Koran  took  the  place    ^ 
of  the"gosp'eTin~A!^a^  Africa,  and  part  of  Europe. 

Note. — It  is  supposed  that  St.  John  was  the  first  pastor  of 
Ephesus.  This  city  is  famous  for  two  councils  held  there,  in  431 
and  in  449.  In  the  first,  Mary  was  proclaimed  the  mother  of  God, 
notwithstanding  the  protestations  of  Nestorius,  the  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople,  who  contended  that  Mary  could  not  be,  at  the  same 
time,  the  mother  of  God  the  Father,  and  God  the  Son.  That  it 
would  be  imitating  the  folly  of  the  heathens,  who  gave  mothers  to 
their  gods.  In  the  second,  Eutyches  and  his  followers  maintained 
that  Jesus  Christ  has  but  one  nature.  This  heresy  was  condemned, 
two  years  after,  in  the  General  Council  of  Chalcedon.  This  second 
council;  at  Ephesus,  is  called,  ^^  A  gang  of  felons."     This  church. 


28  COMMENTARY. 

as  well  as  the  six  others  which  we  are  to  examine,  is  under  the 
power  of  the  Turks,  and  it  is  in  a  state  of  ruins. 


II.  Letter  to  the  Jlngel  of  the  Church  in  Smyrna,  a  type  of  the  Second  Age  of  the 
Church,  from  303  to  313.     Diocletian  Persecution. 

V.  8-11.  "And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Smyrna,  write:  These 
things  saith  the  first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead,  and  is  alive:  I  know  thy 
works,  and  tribulation,  and  poverty  (but  thou  art  rich),  and  I  know  the  blas- 
phemy of  them  which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  are  the  synagogue 
of  Satan.  Fear  none  of  those  things  which  thou  shalt  snfler.  Behold,  the 
devil  shall  cast  some  of  you  into  prison,  that  ye  may  be  tried  ;  and  ye  shall 
have  tribulation  ten  days.  Be  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a 
crown  of  life.  He  that  hath  an  ear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto 
the  Churches ;  he  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the  second  death." 

The  word  Smyrna  means  ^^  bitter  myrrh/'  according  to  its 
etymology,  and  represents  very  well  the  affliction  of  the  Church 
during  the  Diocletian  Persecution,  which  continued  ten  years.  It 
gives  a  picture  of  the  events  contained  under  the  fifth  and  sixth 
seal,  to  wit :  the  pagan  persecutions,  and  the  destruction  of  pagan- 
ism and  its  supporters,  by  the  victories  of  Constantino  the  Great. 

The  Jews,  being  envious  of  the  progress  of  Christianity,  ceased 
not  to  oppress  the  Christians  with  the  most  unjust  accusations  and 
odious  calumnies.  The  pagan  priests,  incensed  also  by  a  fury 
which  seemed  unknown  to  them  before,  accused  them  to  be  the 
cause  of  the  plagues  which  wasted  the  empire.  They  set  on  fire 
the  palace  of  Nicomedia,  then  inhabited  by  Diocletian,  and  charged 
them  with  this  crime.  The  Roman  people,  united  in  a  spectacle, 
given  them  by  the  Emperor  Maximian,  cried  twelve  times:  "Death 
to  the  Christians  !"  and  the  Emperor  answered  as  many  times  : 
"Let  there  be  Christians  no  more  !"  A  medal  was  stomped  with 
this  inscription  :  "  Christianorum  fiomine  (Jdeto,"  that  is,  for  the 
remembrance  of  the  destruction  of  the  Christians'  name. 

The  persecution  began  on  the  day  of  the  passover.  The  edict, 
which  the  Emperor  Diocletian  had  made  in  Nicomedia,  enacted 
that  the  churches  and  houses,  where  the  Christians  assembled, 
should  be  demolished.  That  they  should  be  forced  to  deliver  up 
their  divine  books  to  be  burned.  That  the  pastors  or  bishops 
should  be  put  to  death  or  in  prison.  That  none  of  the  Christians 
should  be  admitted  into  any  office,  trade,  or  science,  and  they  were 
to  be  obliged  by  torments  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods.  Sulpicius 
Sevcrus  speaks  in  this  manner  of  that  persecution  : — 

"  There  was,"  says  he,  *'  under  the  Emperors  Diocletian  and 
Maximian,  a  most  bloody  persecution,  in  which  a  great  slaughter 


COMr.IENTxillY.  29 

of  the  people  of  God  was  perpetrated  during  ten  consecutive  years. 
In  that  time,  almost  the  whole  world  was  inundated  with  the  pre- 
cious blood  of  martyrs ;  for  they  ran  emulously  into  glorious  com- 
bats ;  and,  then,  they  were  more  ambitious  of  the  honors  of  mar- 
tyrdom, than,  at  present,  of  the  bishoprics  that  they  seek  after  by 
unlawful  solicitations.  The  world  was  never  so  much  exhausted 
by  any  war,  and  we  have  never  gained  by  our  victories  more  glo> 
rious  triumphs,  than  when  we  were  not  conquered  by  the  mas- 
sacres of  ten  years/'     (Hist.  Sacr.,  lib.  2,  cap.  32.) 

Now,  we  can  understand  why  our  Lord  takes  the  title  of  "  the 
first  and  the  last,  which  was  dead,  and  is  alive.''  It  is  because  a 
dreadful  persecution  is  foretold  here ',  and  he  strengthens  his  ser- 
vants against  the  terror  of  torments  and  death,  by  reminding  them 
that  he  is  Jehovah,  the  prince  of  life.  He  reminds  them  of  his 
triumph  over  death  by  his  glorious  resurrection ;  and  then  he  in- 
vites them,  at  the  end  of  the  letter,  not  to  fear  the  things  which 
they  shall  suffer ;  for  the  devil  will  cast  some  of  them  into  prison, 
that  they  may  be  tried.  They  shall  have  "  tribulation"  (persecu- 
tion) ^'  ten  days,"  which,  in  the  prophetic  style,  are  taken  for 
years  (Ez.  4-6).  They  ought  not  to  be  afraid  of  these  persecu- 
tions ;  they  must  be  faithful  unto  death,  and  he  will  give  them  the 
crown  of  life.  He  that  overcometh  shall  not  be  hurt  of  the  second 
death,  which  is  the  agony  of  the  soul  in  eternal  torments.  And 
for  the  death  of  the  body,  which  is  the  first  death,  he  will  raise 
them  up,  as  he  raised  up  himself,  triumphing  over  death  in  his 
dominion. 

The  Lord  is  not  ignorant  of  the  sufferings  of  his  people ;  he  is 
4iear  bj^them;  he  is  witness  of  their  labors,  combats,  afiiictions, 
aiKpapparent  poverty  (for  they  are  rich  before  Grod) ;  he  knows 
also  the  slanders  and  blasphemies  of  their  enemies.  "  They  say 
they  are  Jews  (the  people  of  God),  and  are  not,  but  are  the  syna- 
gogue of  Satan,"  united  with  the  devil  and  all  the  enemies  of 
God,  to  destroy  his  people.  0  !  how  wir  and  unfortunate  the 
martyrs  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  mortaT^ye&y—when  they  were 
taken  away  by  night  from  their  families,  to  be  cast  into  prison, 
and  to  be  put  to  torture  and  burned  at  the  stake ;  or  when,  in 
escaping  from  their  persecutors,  they  carried  away  their  children 
through  the  ice  and  snow  of  the  winter,  to  go  and  live  in  the 
forests  with  wild  beasts  !  But  how  rich  and  happy  to  the  eyes  of 
God  and  of  his  saints,  and  how  preferable  their  condition  was  to 
that  of  their  ferocious  oppressors  ! 

Persecution,  in  the  Church  of  God,  is  like  the  fire  by  which 
Christians  are  tried,  as  gold  and  silver  are  tried.  This  Church  in 
Smyrna  is  spotless.     There  is  here  no  Nicolaitanes ;  there  is  no 


30  COMMENTARY. 

other  ambition  than  to  die  for  the  Lord.  Nevertheless  its  candlestick 
has  been  removed  as  that  of  the  other  churches,  thoucrh  it  is  yet  a 
large  and  prosperous  city.  The  reason  is,  that  it  was  by  its  name, 
a  type  of  the  state  of  the  church,  as  it  is  clearly  delineated  in  his- 
tory ;  and  it  was  not  a  prediction  of  persecutions  appointed  for  this 
particular  church.  The  ten  daj^s  of  tribulation  point  out  clearly 
this  persecution  of  ten  years  ;  it  was  the  tenth  persecution,  and  it 
continued  ten  years;  after  which  the  persecutors  were  themselves 
destroyed  (see  the  fifth  and  sixth  seal,  6  :  9-17). 


III.  Leiier  to  the  Church  of  Pcrgamos,  a  type  of  the  Third  A^e  of  the  Church, 
from  313/0  006,  when  Boniface  III.  became  Pope.      The  Church  exalted. 

V.  12-J7.  "And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Pergamos,  write:  These 
things  says  he  which  hath  the  sharp  sM-^ord,  with  two  edges ;  I  know  thy 
works,  and  wliere  thou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is;  and  thou  holdest 
fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied  my  faith,  even  in  those  days  wherein 
Antipas  ivas  my  faithful  martyr,  who  was  slain  among  you,  where  Satan 
dwelleth.  But  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  tliere  them 
that  hold  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a  stumbling  block 
before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to  com- 
mit fornication.  So  hast  thou  also  them  that  hold  the  doctrines  of  the  Nico- 
laitanes,  which  thing  I  hate.  Repent;  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly, 
and  will  light  against  them  with  the  sword  of  my  mouth.  He  that  hath  an 
ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches.  To  him  that 
overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden  manna,  and  will  give  him  a 
white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new  name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth 
saving  he  that  receiveth  it." 

The  word  "  Pergamos,"  according  to  its  etymology,  means  a 
^^ fortress;  elevation."  JEJenry  confesses  that  there  is  no  city  of 
this  name.  Some  suppose  that  it  was  a  city,  built  on  the  ruins  of 
the  ancient  Ilion,  whose  fortress  was  called  by  this  name ;  and 
some  others  suppose  it  may  probably  be  Bergamo,  a  city  situated  at 
about  sixty-three  miles  north  of  Smyrna.  And  to  explain  how  this 
city  is  the  seat  of  Satan,  they  are  obliged  to  suppose  again,  that 
there  was  a  most  wicked  Roman  governor  living  there.  Therefore, 
the  contents  of  this  letter  can  only  be  explained  by  the  history  of 
those  times,  which  followed  the  victories  of  Constantino,  from  813 
to  006,  when  the  bishop  of  Home  was  proclaimed  "universal 
bishop,  or  pope,"  by  the  Emperor  Phocas.  And  this  age  of  the 
Church  figured  by  the  Church  of  Pergamos,  synchronizes  with  the 
sealing  of  the  servants  of  God  (7  :  1-8)  and  the  events,  sounded 
by  the  four  first  trumpets,  namely,  the  decay  and  fall  of  the 
lloman  Empire  (8  :  7-13).  Now,  after  the  events  of  this  time, 
we  can   explain  why  Jesus   Christ  takes  here  the  title  of  him 


y. 


C0M3IENTARY.  31 


'^  which  hath  the  sharp  sword,  with  two  edges/' — where  is  Satan's 
seat, — who  was  his  faithful  martyr  Antipas,  slain  where  Satan 
dwelleth, — what  is  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  and  that  of  the  Nico- 
laitanes, — and  finally,  what  is  this  manna,  and  this  white  stone, 
which  are  to  be  the  reward  of  him  that  overcometh. 

1.  As  soon  as  Constantine  became  the  master  of  the  throne  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  he  declared  that  Christianity  should  be  the 
religion  of  the  empire  :  this  is  the  Church  of  Pergamos,  the 
church  exalted  and  surrounded  with  riches,  honors,  and  gran- 
deurs. The  bishop  of  Rome,  especially,  has  but  one  step  more  to 
advance  and  to  ascend  up  to  the  throne.  The  simplicity  of  the 
primitive  worship,  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  did  not  any  more  suit  a 
church  so  highly  favored ;  and  the  evangelical  poverty  seemed  to 
be  unbecoming  for  ministers  surrounded  with  such  earthly  gran- 
deurs. Therefore,  they  established  a  pompous,  pagan  worship, 
and  invented  human  teachings,  according  to  their  worldly  circum- 
stances. The  temples  were  adorned  with  magnificent  pictures, 
representing  the  constancy  and  death  of  martyrs.  Soon  after,  it 
was  said  that  those  pictures  performed  miracles;  they  went  by 
multitudes  to  the  tombs  of  those  they  represented ;  and,  in  the 
midst  of  the  fifth  century,  it  was  publicly  admitted  that  prayers 
should  be  addressed  to  them.  In  .431,  Mary  was  said  to  be  the 
mother  of  God;  the  relics  became  objects  of  idolatry;  feast-days 
were  established  in  honor  of  the  saints,  and  molten  images  were 
introduced  into  the  temples.  It  was  in  this  manner  that  Satan's 
seat  was  raised  up  in  the  midst  of  Christians,  who  had  henceforth 
to  worship  as  many  saints,  their  new  mediators,  as  the  heathens 
had  semigods.  This  is  not  all.  The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  this  simple  and  touching  commemoration  of  our  Saviour's 
death,  was  invested  by  vain  and  pompous  ceremonies,  borrowed 
from  the  Jews  and  from  the  heathens,  and  it  became  what  they 
call  ^^  Mass,"  a  sacrifice  that  is  offered  for  the  living  and  the  dead, 
and  even  in  our  days  for  the  healing  of  animals.  When  Jesus 
Christ  takes  the  title  of  him  "which  hath  the  sharp  sword,  with 
two  edges,"  the  emblem  of  his  word,  he  warns  us  that  in  this  age, 
represented  by  the  church  of  Pergamos,  the  purity  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrines  shall  be  corrupted  by  human  devices.  But,  as,  by 
his  word,  he  caused  heaven  and  earth  to  come  forth  from  naught, 
he  can,  by  a  single  word,  bring  out  of  the  deserts  numberless 
armies  to  punish  unfaithful  Christians,  and  overthrow  Satan's  seat. 
They  did  not  repent :  he  fought  against  them  "  with  the  sword  of 
his  mouth ;"  and  at  his  word  ten  barbarian  nations  came  out  of 
their  forests,  and  destroyed  the  Roman  Empire. 

2.  Where  is  Satan's  seat,  wherein  the  fiiithful  martyr,  Antipas, 


82  CO  31  MEN  TAR  Y. 

was  slain?  The  propliet  himself  tells  us  (17  :  1,  9,  18),  that  it  is 
in  that  city  which  is  built  on  seven  mountains,  and  which  reigfneth 
over  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and 
nations,  and  tongues.  Now,  by  this  description,  every  one  recog- 
nizes the  city  of  Home.  It  was,  then,  there  that  Antipas,  this 
faithful  martyr,  was  slain.  But,  if  we  consult  tradition,  so  fecund 
in  inventions,  we  find  lio  bishop,  no  martyr  of  this  name,  either  in 
Rome  or  elsewhere ;  and,  if  any  martyr  of  that  name  were  to  be 
found  there,  the  Holy  Grhost  would  not  designate  him  by  his  name. 
Therefore,  it  is  spoken  here  of  an  extraordinary  martyrdom, — of 
the  spiritual  martyrdom  or  spiritual  death  of  the  bishop  of  Rome, 
who  was  before  a  faithful  witness  of  the  truth.  But  Satan  has 
killed  him  by  his  riches  and  worldly  grandeurs.  He  was  seduced 
by  worldly  grandeurs,  and,  in  his  apostacy,  he  became  the  enemy 
of  all  true  Christians,  as  it  is  indicated  by  the  name  ^^  Antipas." 
For  this  name  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words,  ^' aiiti"  (against; 
opposed  to),  and  of  ^^ pas"  (all);  and  this  name,  Antipas,  cnarac- 
terizes  in  this  manner  the  nature  of  his  apostacy,  or  of  his  spiritual 
death,  which  shall  consist,  in  the  time  of  its  fulfilment,  in  his 
being  opposed  to  all  Christians,  depriving  them  of  the  word  of 
God,  and  forcing  them  either  to  obey  his  worldly  authority,  or  to 
perish  in  dungeons,  or  at  the  stake. 

3.  Notwithstanding  that  apostacy,  ^Hhou  boldest  last  my  name, 
and  hast  not  denied  my  faith."  This  Church  does  not  renounce 
Christianity :  it  is  but  an  impure  alloy  of  paganism  with  Chris- 
tianity; and  the  authors  of  this  alloy  are  like  Balaam,  who  being 
unable  to  curse  the  people  of  God,  persuaded  King  Balak  to  put  an 
offence  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  cause  them  to  fall  into 
impurity  and  idolatry,  knowing  that  God  himself  would  curse  them, 
if  they  fell  into  fornication  and  idolatry.  To  teach  men  to  kneel 
down  before  images,  and  to  pray  to  the  saints,  is,  according  to  the 
prophetic  expressions,  to  teach  them  "to  eat  things  sanctified  unto 
idols,  and  to  commit  fornication,"  as  to  eat  the  flesh  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  to  believe  on  him  (John  6  :  50-50);  it  is  to  overthrow 
Jesus  Christ  from  his  mediatorial  throne  to  enthrone  the  demons 
or  the  souls  of  dead  men,  who  have  been  canonized.  He  who 
teaches  such  doctrines,  and  he  who  practises  them, ^t,  that  is, 
bglieye,  as  the  heathens  did,  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and 
commit  spiritual  fornication  :  they  have  been  slain  where  Satan 
dwelleth,  though  they  hold  fast  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  have  not 
denied  his  faith. 

4.  .We  have  seen,  in  the  letter  to  the  Church  of  Ephcsus,  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  Nicolaitanes, — a  name  composed  of  two  Greek 
words  ^^nikaJ^  (victory)  and  ^Uaos"  (people) — characterizes  the 


COMMENTARY.  33 

ambition  of  the  ecclesiastics,  who,  after  having  deprived  the  people 
of  all  their  privileges  in  the  administration  of  the  Church, 
attempted  to  domineer  the  one  over  the  other.  As  the  existence 
of  such  heretics  is  unknown  in  the  history  of  the  primitive  church, 
Eusebius  says  that  they  continued  but  a  short  time,  and  Tertullian 
says  that  their  heresy  existed  under  the  name  of  "Cainists," 
having  probably  changed  the  name  of  their  sect.  It  is,  then, 
evident,  that  all  that  is  supposition,  and  that  this  sect  is  known 
only  by  this  Revelation.  I  dare  even  say,  had  such  a  sect  existed, 
it  would  not  be  mentioned  here  by  its  proper  name.  These 
Nicolaitanes  have  disappeared  during  the  persecution,  represented 
by  the  letter  to  the  Church  of  Smyrna;  for  ambition  is  silent, 
when  persecution  rages;  but  it  is  awakened  in  these  prosperous 
days  of  the  Church.  Besides  this,  it  is  necessary  that  a  chief 
should  be  raised  up  at  the  head  of  the  great  apostacy,  to  guide  and 
manage  its  progress :  for  the  time,  when  the  man  of  sin,  the  son 
of  perdition,  should  be  revealed,  is  at  hand :  he  who  opposes  him 
will  be  taken  away  very  soon :  Constantinople  contends  with  Rome 
for  that  pre-eminence;  but  Satan  has  given  the  preference  to 
Rome,  the  city  in  which  all  the  pagan  gods  had  their  throne. 

5.  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hidden 
manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone,  and  in  the  stone  a  new 
name  written,  which  no  man  knoweth,  saving  he  that  receiveth  it.^' 
This  manna,  promised  to  faithful  Christians,  is  not  that  manna 
that  the  Israelites  ate  in  the  wilderness,  and  which  did  not  prevent 
their  death  :  it  is  the  possession  of  Himself,  of  the  grace  which  is 
in  Him,  and  the  spiritual  nourishment  of  his  word,  from  which 
sources  of  living  waters  spring  forth  to  give  eternal  life.  This 
spiritual  nourishment  and  its  secret  delights  are  hidden  from  the 
eyes  of  the  semi-Christian  and  of  the  stranger.  It  may  be  seen 
that  there  is  here  an  allusion  made  to  the  sealing  of  the  hundred 
and  forty-four  thousand  servants  of  the  Lord,  to  be  his  witnesses 
during  the  Middle  Age  (7  :  4-8);  for  it  shall  be  demonstrated,  in 
the  eleventh  chapter,  that  the  first  witness  has  been  sealed,  about 
425,  Protestantism,  as  Reformed  churches,  being  the  second,  and 
the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses,  as  primitive  churches,  being  the 
first  witness,  nourished,  as  the  Israelites,  in  the  wilderness,  by  the 
word  of  God.  And,  as  the  Greeks  used  to  give  to  him  that  had 
overcome  in  their  games,  a  white  stone  upon  which  were  written 
his  name  and  "the  sort  of  games  in  which  he  had  obtained  the 
victory,  so  the  Lord  will  give  to  him  that  overcometh  the  ambition 
and  idolatrous  inventions  of  this  epoch  a  white  stone  upon  which 
shall  be  written  his  new  name  "  heretic  or  Protestant,"  according 
to  men,  but  son  of  God  by  adoption,  and  entitled  to  his  heavenly 


81  C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

heritage.  No  man  knoweth  this  name  of  Protestant,  saving  he 
that  rcceiveth  it  j  for  to  others  it  is  a  damnable  heresy,  tlioiigh 
they  are  not  ignorant  of  the  abominations  of  popery,  which  they 
hold  to  be  the  true  Church  of  Grod  (see  this  new  name  in  the 
Church  of  Philadelphia), 

All  the  characters  of  this  letter  give  us  a  faithful  picture  of  the 
Church  after  the  victories  of  Constantino  to  the  reign  of  the 
usurper  Phocas.  The  Church  was  exalted,  as  it  is  signified  by  the 
name  of  Pergamos.  Rome,  as  it  is  avowed  by  the  popish  doctors 
themselves,  is  designated  to  be  the  seat  of  Antichrist ;  it  is  this 
mystic  Sodom  and  Babylon,  where  Jesus  Christ  has  been  crucified. 
Its  bishop,  surrounded  with  worldly  grandeurs,  abandoned  the 
purity  of  Christianity,  raised  up  molten  images  in  the  temples  of 
Grod,  ordered  a  pompous  worship,  at  the  imitation  of  paganism, 
and  substituted  saints  and  saintesses  to  be  worshipped,  like  demi- 
gods, so  that  a  learned  Spanish  doctor,  Louis  Vivos,  declares,  that 
he  cannot  see  what  may  be  the  difference  to  be  established  between 
the  pagan  demi-gods  and  the  saints,  except,  perhaps,  he  says,  that 
saints  are  real  beings,  whilst  the  pagan  gods  were  imaginary  ones. 
Idolatry  being  introduced  into  the  temple  of  God,  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  the  faithful  martyr,  Antipas,  ki^lled  by  the  devil,  became 
Antichrist.  He  attempted  to  arrogate  to  himself  the  title  of  uni- 
versal bishop,  granted  to  him  by  a  decree  of  Justinian,  which  was 
published  in  53o,  according  to  the  records  of  Bucholcer  and  Sigo- 
nius.  But  the  churches,  still  animated  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
dared  then  to  deny  it  to  him.  In  587,  a  great  contest  arose  in  a 
council  at  Constantinople,  concerning  this  title,  which  the  bishop 
of  that  church  tried  to  attribute  to  himself  He  attempted  again, 
in  69-1,  to  entitle  himself  "universal  bishop;"  and  the  bishop  of 
Rome,  Gregory  the  Great,  wrote  to  him,  in  602,  a  letter,  in  which 
he  says,  that  the  bishop,  who  should  usurp  this  title,  would  be  by 
his  pride,  the  forerunner  of  Antichrist,  if  he  were  not  the  Anti- 
christ himself  Four  years  after,  in  606,  his  successor,  Boniface 
III.,  was  proclaimed  universal  bishop,  by  the  favor  of  the  usurper 
Phocas. 


IV.  Letter  to  the  Church  in  Thyatira,  a  type  of  the  state  of  the  Church  from  GOG 
to  the  destruction  of  the  Mbigcnscs  in  12G0. 

V.  18-29.  "And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Thyatira  wiiie :  These 
things  saith  the  Son  of  God,  who  hath  his  eyes  Uke  unto  a  llaiue  of  fire,  and 
his  feet  arc  like  fine  brass;  I  know  thy  works,  and  cliarity,  and  service,  and 
faith,  and  thy  patience,  and  thy  works;  and  the  last  to  he  more  than  the  first. 
Notwithstanding,  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee,  because  thou  sufterest  that 
woman  Jezebel,  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess,  to  teach  eind  to  seduce 


COMMENTARY.  oO 

my  servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat  things  sacrificed  nnto  idols. 
And  I  gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her  fornication ;  and  she  repented  not. 
Behold,  I  will  cast  her  into  a  bed,  and  them  that  commit  adidtery  with  her 
into  a  great  tribulation,  except  they  repent  of  their  deeds.  And  I  will  kill  her 
children  with  death:  and  all  the  churches  shall  know  that  I  am  he  which 
searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts:  and  I  will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  ac- 
cording to  your  works. 

"  But  unto  you  I  say,  and  nnto  the  rest  in  Thyatira  (as  many  as  have  not 
this  doctrine,  and  which  have  not  known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak), 
I  will  put  upon  you  none  other  burden  :  but  that  which  ye  have  already 
hold  fast  till  I  come.  And  he  that  overcometh,  and  keepeth  my  works 
unto  the  end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the  nations;  and  he  shall  rule 
them  with  a  rod  of  iron;  as  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shall  they  be  broken  to 
shivers;  even  as  I  received  of  my  Father.  And  I  will  give  him  the  morn- 
ing star.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
churches." 

The  name  of  . "  Tliyatira'^  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words^,  \ 
"  thuGs"  (incense,  perfume,  victim),  and  of  "  teiro''  (to  afflict,  i 
torment,  destroy),  and  signifies,  according  to  its  etymology,  aground 
4ncensev4u:^consumption  of  yictims.  It  is  the  type  of  the  Church, 
aMtcted,  perseSttteeHbytHe  man  of  sin,  to  whom  it  was  given  to 
tread  under  foot  the  Holy  City,  forty  and  two  months  (11 :  2). 
This  period  synchronizes  with  the  fifth  trumpet,  and  contains  the 
manifestation  of  the  man  of  sin,  in  Boniface  III. — the  incursions 
of  the  Saracens,  followers  of  Mahomet — the  middle  age  and  the 
crusades  against  the  Turks  and  the  Albigenses. 

The  Roman  bishop  has  been  put  to  a  spiritual  death,  by  Satan 
or  by  worldly  OTandeuj:&.  He  has  made  an  odious  alloy  of  paganism 
and  Christianity^pile  has  been  sustained  in  his  impure  innovations 
by  those  ambitious,  designated  under  the  name  of  Nicolaitanes,  who 
hoped  to  share  in  the  favors  which  he  received  from  the  emperors. 
The  Lord  is  angry  with  them:  they  are  no  more  his  people;  he 
will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword  of  his  mouth,  and  he  will 
abandon  them  into  the  hands  of  the  master  which  they  have 
chosen.  Satan  cast  out  of  his  mouth  (paganism)  hordes  of  savages, 
the  armies  of  the  Goths  under  Alaric, — the  Vandals  under  Genseric 
— the  Scythes,  called  Huns,  under  Attila, — and  the  Heruli,  under 
Odoacre,  to  accomplish,  by  turns,  the  vengeance  of  the  Lord.  The 
powerful  Roman  Empire,  figured  by  the  fourth  beast,  in  the  vision 
of  Daniel  (7  :  1-26),  became  the  prey  of  ten  barbarian  nations, 
which  raised  up  ten  kingdoms  out  of  its  ruins.  And  thus  ended 
the  first  part  of  the  Antichristian  Empire :  the  first  times  are 
passed;  the  last  are  at  hand.  The  key  of  the  destruction  of  the 
Roman  Empire  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 

Everything  favors  the  ambition  of  the  Roman  bishop.  The 
emporurs  have  but  a  shade  of  authority.     The  pageantry  by  which 


36  COMMENTARY. 

this  bisliop  is  surrounded,  and  the  pompous  ceremonies  in  the 
temples,  moved  with  awe  the  barbarians;  and  he  became,  between 
them  and  the  emperors  and  the  provinces  of  the  empire,  which 
had  to  ask  for  favors  or  the  redress  of  their  complaints,  a  powerful 
mediator,  who  in  advocating  their  causes,  did  not  forget  to  profit, 
by  his  mediation,  to  succeed  in  his  ambitious  designs.  The  in- 
famous Phocas,  having  caused  the  Emperor  Mauritius  and  all  his 
family  to  be  slaughtered,  took  possession  of  the  empire.  He  felt 
that  he  needed  the  favor  of  the  Roman  bishop,  to  be  sustained  in 
his  usurpation,  and  he  bought  it,  by  investing  him  with  the  so  long 
coveted  title  of  Universal  Bishop,  in  GOG. 

The  ambitious  Nicolaitanes  have  now  a  worldly  king,  to  overrule 
the  Church.  In  607,  according  to  Sigebert  and  Polonus,  he 
ordered  a  feast  day  for  all  the  dead ;  but,  according  to  other 
annalists,  it  was  only  instituted  in  993,  by  Odilon,  an  abbot  of 
Clugny.  The  following  year,  he  obtained  from  Phocas,  the  pos- 
session of  the  Pantheon  ;  and  this  famous  temple,  consecrated  to 
Jupiter  and  to  all  the  pagan  gods,  had  henceforth  this  new  inscrip- 
tion :  ''To  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  all  the  saints."  Every  year,  new 
feast  days,  new  dogmas  were  instituted,  and  the  worship  of  images 
was  nearly  established  everywhere.  In  723,  the  Emperor  Leon 
attempted  to  stop  the  progress  of  idolatry  :  he  ordered  to  break  in 
pieces  all  the  graven  images,  to  which  a  religious  worship  was 
rendered ;  but  he  was  excommunicated  by  the  Pope  G-rcgory  II. 
In  754,  a  general  council,  held  in  Constantinople,  condemned  the 
worship  of  images  and  their  worshippers ;  but  their  worship  was 
re-established  in  787,  by  the  Council  of  Nice.  In  793,  a  numerous 
council,  held  in  Francfort,  condemned  the  Council  of  Nice,  as  "  an 
impertinent,  absurd  council,  held  to  order  the  worship  of  images 
and  paintings."  This  idolatrous  worship  was  again  condemned  by 
another  council  in  814;  but  it  was  finally  sanctioned  in  842,  by  the 
council  held  in  Constantinople,  which  condemned,  as  damnable 
heretics,  the  enemies  of  this  idolatry,  known  and  persecuted  under 
the  name  of  "  Iconoclasts." 

The  worship  of  the  saints  was  also  condemned,  in  a  council  held 
in  Cordova,  in  852;  but  the  popish  party  began  to  overcome  every- 
where the  small  number  of  faithful  Christians.  The  abuse  which 
the  popes  made  of  their  usurped  authority,  went  so  far,  that  Saint 
Bernard  himself,  opposed  the  canonization  of  the  saints,  and  wrote 
to  the  Pope:  "Now,  when  you  have  canonized  St.  Anna,  the 
mother  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  what  reason  have  you  for  not  canoni- 
zing her  grandmother  and  all  her  ancestors,  up  to  Eva  herself?" 

The  kings  themselves  favored  the  ambition  ot  the  Roman  bishop. 
This  false  successor  of  Peter  had  no  earthly  patrimony,  and  the 


COMMENTARY.  37 

King  of  tlie  Lombards,  Aripert,  gave  him  the  Celtic  Alps,  in  704. 
Three  years  after,  he  asked  for  and  he  obtained  an  exemption  from 
all  imperial  jurisdiction  for  his  new  temporal  dominion.  The  king 
Pepin,  having  been  released  by  the  Pope  Zachariah,  from  his  alle- 
giance to  his  king  Childeric,  granted  him  the  Ravenna's  exarchate, 
the  dukedoms  of  Mantua,  Spoletta,  and  Benevent.  Charlemagne, 
crowned  emperor  of  the  Western  Empire,  in  801,  added  again  new 
gifts  to  popedom,  and  pledged  himself  to  destroy  with  his  sword, 
all  the  ancient  liturgies  in  France,  Italy,  and  Germany,  and  to 
oblige  all  the  churches  to  adopt  the  Roman  liturgy,  in  order  that  a 
unity  of  worship  and  faith  should  be  established  everywhere.  The 
power  of  the  popes  was  soon  unlimited ;  and  the  kings  themselves 
were  very  soon  the  humble  vassals  of  popery.  The  monk,  Hilde- 
bvand,  Gregory  VII.,  imposed  upon  them  a  yoke  which  they  were 
not  able  to  break,  even  when  the  dark  days  of  the  Middle  Age  had 
passed  away.  The  people  were  plunged  more  and  more  into  the 
deepest  ignorance ;  and  the  flatterers  of  the  popes  extolled,  more 
and  more,  the  popish  pretensions,  so  that  the  power  which  was  first 
looked  upon  as  ridiculous,  was,  after  some  years,  far  behind  their 
wishes  and  pretensions.  False  decretals  were  invented  to  conse- 
crate their  ancient  usurpations,  and  to  grant  them  new  prerogatives. 
The  courtesans  Theodora  and  Marosia,  her  daughter,  placed  on  the 
papal  throne  their  vile  lovers,  and  the  spurious  offsprings  of  their 
debauchery,  scarcely  twelve  years  old.  There  were  fifty  popes, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  eleventh  century  to  the  midst  of  the 
twelfth,  and  the  historians  say  that  there  were  not  two  of  them, 
who  could  be  called  men,  for  they  were  all  monsters.  The  money 
of  the  people  went  by  thousand  streams,  called  :  ''  St.  Peter's  pence, 
investitures,  annats,  licenses,  donations,  &c.  &c.,"  to  be  ingulfed 
into  the  papal  strong  box,  as  into  a  bottomless  abyss.  The  people 
and  the  kingdoms  were  exhausted  and  miserable,  whilst  these  mon- 
sters were  living  in  luxury  and  lewdness. 

Nevertheless  some  few  men  dared  to  raise  up  their  voice  to  op- 
pose the  torrent,  by  which  all  were  carried  away.  The  Bishop  of 
Florence  dared  to  maintain,  in  1105,  that  Antichrist  was  manifested ; 
the  Archbishop  of  Lyons  was  killed  in  Rome,  in  1124,  for  having 
blamed  the  brutish  depravity  of  the  dignitaries  of  the  papal  court; 
Arnold  of  Brescia,  was  burnt  for  having  revealed  the  papal  tur- 
pitude ;  Peter  Waldo,  from  Lyons,  and  the  Albigenses  and 
Waldenses,  protested  loudly  against  popery  and  its  innovations. 
And  when,  in  the  ninth  century,  Paschasius  Radbert  proposed  the 
monstrous  dogma  of  transubstantiation,  an  army  of  defenders  of  the 
evangelical  truth  arose  to  oppose  it:  they  were  Rabanus,  Walafrid, 
Heribald,  Prudentius,  Florus,  Scotus,  and  Bertram,  who  were  the 

4 


38  COMMENTARY. 

lights  of  their  century.  But  soon  after,  the  people  were  plunged 
into  the  deepest  ignorance ;  the  pope  was  looked  upon  as  God  on 
earth.  Some  doctors,  then,  went  so  far  as  to  maintain  that,  should 
the  pope  decree  that  vice  is  virtue,  and  virtue  vice,  it  would  be  so ; 
for  God  would  confirm  his  words.  Transubstantiation,  so  power- 
fully opposed,  became  a  sacred  dogma  in  a  council,  held  in  the 
Lateran's  palace,  in  1215,  and  the  auricular  confession,  born  in 
627  at  Chalons  on  the  Marne,  in  a  synod  of  fifty-two  bishops,  was 
then  imposed  upon  the  laymen,  as  at  first  upon  the  monks,  and 
upon  the  priests  in  the  eighth  century.  As  the  Albigenses  had  long 
been  opposed  to  the  papal  pretensions  and  innovations,  the  same 
council  was  summoned  to  crush  them;  and,  in  1260,  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  of  Albigenses  were  massacred  by  the 
Papists,  under  the  command  of  St.  Dominic  and  the  Earl  Simon  of 
Montfort.  They  were  besieged  in  their  cities  and  villages,  and 
hunted,  as  wild  beasts,  in  the  mountains  and  forests.  Neither 
children  nor  women  were  spared ;  the  women  were  the  victims  of 
the  most  atrocious  brutality  of  the  soldiers,  in  the  sight  of  the 
monks,  who  commanded  them.  Now,  let  us  examine  the  emblems 
of  the  letter  to  the  Church  in  Thyatira. 

1.  It  maybe  understood,  now,  why  Jesus  appears  with  "eyes 
like  unto  a  flame  of  fire/'  which  is,  in  a  man,  the  sign  of  indigna- 
tion and  wrath.  It  is  because  the  man  of  sin,  the  son  of  perdition, 
sitteth  as  God  in  the  temple  of  God ;  it  is  because  his  throne  of 
Mediator  has  been  overthrown  in  the  temples  and  given  to  Mary, 
and  to  the  multitude  of  saints  and  saintesses ;  it  is  because  the 
sublime  m3'steries  of  the  gospel  have  been  parodied,  and  the  blood 
of  his  saints  shed  like  water  on  the  earth.  At  the  sight  of  those 
abominations,  established  in  the  holy  place,  his  eyes  are  like  unto  a 
flame  of  fire,  which  devours  his  enemies,  and  he  reminds  his  Church 
that  he  is  the  Son  of  God,  God  himself,  to  strengthen  his  servants; 
"  For  his  feet  are  like  fine  brass"  (1  :  15),  showing  the  strong  foun- 
dation on  which  his  Church  is  built,  and  the  power  of  his  wrath  to 
crush  down  his  enemies,  who  cannot  prevail  against  him. 

2.  Though  the  Church  in  Thyatira  be  scattered  throughout  this 
new  Egypt,  and  hidden  in  the  desert  of  popery,  the  Lord  knows 
her  faith,  patience,  and  charity  :  he  declares  that  her  last  works 
are  more  than  the  first.  These  words  mean  either  that  the  perse- 
cutions she  sufl'ers  from  Papists  are  more  cruel  than  those  which 
the  first  Christians  sufi"ered  from  the  heathens,  or  that  the  Church, 
at  the  end  of  this  period,  showed  more  zeal  and  courage  to  op- 
pose popery  than  at  the  beginning;  for  it  was  but  in  1194  that 
they  began  to  be  persecuted  as  heretics ;  and  in  consequence  of 
their  silence,  they  have  been  supposed  to  bo  a   new  sect,  unknown 


COM  ?.I  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  39 

before  the  nintli  century.  But  the  first  meaning  maybe  true  also, 
for  the  heathens  did  not  invent  the  horrors  of  the  Inquisition,  nor  its 
torments,  and  did  not  raise  armies  of  crusaders,  to  exterminate  the 
Christians. 

3.  Jezebel  was  not,  as  it  is  supposed  by  Scott  and  Henry,  the 
wife  of  the  Pastor  of  this  Church ;  but  the  wife  of  Ahab,  King  of 
the  Jews.  (1  Kings,  16  :  29-34.)  And,  as  she  built  an  altar  to  her  god 
Baal,  in  a  temple  at  Samaria,  and  caused  the  children  of  Israel  to 
turn  to  idols;  as  she  persecuted  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  Ahijah 
and  Elijah,  to  put  them  to  death,  and  ordered  Naboth's  death,  to 
take  possession  of  his  vineyard  (1  Kings,  21 :  1-16),  so  the  Papal 
Church,  whose  type  Jezebel  is,  draws  the  servants  of  the  Lord  to 
idols,  persecutes  them,  and  puts  them  to  death,  to  take  possession  of 
their  heritage.  The  Lord  reproves  this  Church,  because  she  suffers 
that  woman,  Jezebel  (the  Roman  Church  likened  to  a  great  whore 
17  :  1),  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess  (infallible,  speaking  as 
inspired  with  the  Holy  Ghost),  uttering  the  oracles  of  God,  "  to 
teach  and  seduce  his  servants  to  commit  fornication,  and  to  eat 
things  sacrificed  unto  idols.''  The  word  fornication  must  be  un- 
derstood in  a  spiritual  sense,  as  the  word  adultery,  which  is  applied 
to  unfaithful  churches,  to  Jerusalem  and  Samaria.  As  an  un- 
faithful wife  commits  adultery,  when  she  prostitutes  her  love  to  a 
stranger,  so  an  unfaithful  Christian,  wedded  to  Christ,  commits  a 
spiritual  adultery,  when  he  kneels  before  the  stone  and  wood,  and 
prays  to  the  saints  or  semigods.  Here,  it  is  only  spoken  of  forni- 
cation, because  the  Roman  Church  is  not  ihe  bride  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  proneness  of  our  nature  to  idolatry  is  very  strong,  and  however 
light  a  sin  it  may  appear  to  worldly  philosophers,  it  was  the  sin 
which  was  the  cause  of  all  the  scourges  of  the  Jewish  people.  To 
eat  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  means  to  believe  and  worship  like 
the  heathens  (John  6  :  50-56),  as  to  eat  the  body  of  Christ  is  to 
believe  on  him. 

4.  "And  I  gave  her  space  to  repent  of  her  fornication."  This 
time  given  to  the  Roman  Church  to  repent,  is  marked  in  different 
manners  in  the  word  of  God.  Sometimes,  it  is  expressed  under  the 
emblems  of  ''a  time  and  times,  and  the  dividing  of  time,"  vfhicli 
make  1260  years,  a  time  being  taken  for  the  lunar  year,  or  360 
days,  which  are  as  many  years,  according  to  the  prophetic  style. 
Sometimes,  it  is  expressed  under  the  emblem  of  forty-two  months, 
and  sometimes,  when  it  is  applied  to  the  faithful  Church,  under 
that  of  1260  days,  the  number  of  years  being  the  same ;  but,  as  an 
idolatrous  church  is  emblematically  represented  by  the  moon,  her 
years  are  reckoned  by  months  or  times,  revolutions;  and  for  the 
faithful  Church,  which  walks  in  the  light,  her  years  are  reckoned 


40  C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

by  days,  which  make  as  many  years.  Now,  the  Roman  Church 
has  continued,  in  her  errors  and  extravagant  pretensions,  more  than 
twelve  centuries,  "and  she  repented  not,"  though  she  has  been 
often  "cast  into  a  bed,''  as  a  sick  person,  feeble  and  ready  to  die. 
It  is  not  said  that  it  is  in  this  age  of  the  Church  that  the  Lord  will 
cast  her  into  a  bed  of  sickness,  but  it  is  in  future  times,  as  she  was 
very  weak  and  infirm,  wlien  she  had  two,  and,  sometimes,  three 
popes,  at  the  head  of  arinies,  excommunicating  one  another,  and 
draining  the  purse  of  the  poor  victims  of  their  superstitions  and 
idolatry ;  and  when  the  intrepid  Ziska,  at  the  head  of  the  Bohe- 
mians, avenged  the  death  of  John  Huss,  and  of  Jerome  of  Prague, 
and  defeated  the  papal  armies;  and  when  Luther  unchained  the 
Bible,  and  wounded  popery  in  such  a  manner  that  it  is  more  and 
more  weak,  until  another  wound  shall  put  it  to  death. 

5.  "  And  I  will  cast  them  that  commit  adultery  with  her  into 
great  tribulation.  And  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death." 
Those  who  commit  adultery  with  her  are  the  kings  and  the  people, 
supporters  of  popery,  who  receive  and  profess  her  idolatrous  re- 
ligion. The  kings  were  crushed  down  under  foot  by  the  popes, 
whose  humble  vassals  they  were,  being  obliged  to  hold  the  stirrups 
to  their  master,  and  to  kiss  his  feet  to  obtain  his  favors.  He  had 
only  to  say:  "I  excommunicate  you,'^  and  the  monarch,  aban- 
doned by  his  superstitious  subjects,  asked  in  vain  from  his  servants 
for  the  succor  which  they  denied  him.  One,  shut  up  in  a  dark 
room  as  a  wild  and  infectious  beast,  received  through  a  hole  the 
meals  which  two  faithful  servants  were  willing  to  give  him  with 
trembling  ;  another,  abandoned  even  by  his  wife  and  children,  was 
obliged  to  put  a  cord  around  his  neck,  and  to  go  barefooted  in  the 
snow  of  the  winter,  to  kneel  down  three  days,  at  the  gate  of  the 
palace,  where  the  arrogant  master,  revelling  in  debauchery,  re- 
fused to  receive  him.  The  kings  had  forged  themselves  their 
chains,  in  forging  those  of  their  people,  who  had  willingly  sub- 
mitted to  the  will  of  their  masters;  because  they  received  not  the 
love  of  the  truth,  that  they  might  be  saved.  They  were  all 
punished  by  the  avarice  and  ambition  of  the  popes,  by  the  bloody 
wars,  undertaken  either  to  sustain  their  pretensions,  or  to  destroy 
their  competitors,  during  their  schisms ;  and  above  all,  by  the  wars 
of  the  crusades,  against  the  Turks,  in  which  millions  of  Papists, 
her  children,  were  destroyed,  during  150  years.  From  these  curses 
upon  papists,  kings  and  subjects,  the  faithful  churches  should  know 
that  Jesus  is  "he  which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts,"  who  pro- 
tects his  servants  and  breaks  his  enemies  with  an  iron  rod,  giving 
unto  every  one  according  to  his  works. 

G.   "  But  unto  you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thyatira,  as  many 


COMMENTARY  41 

as  have  not  tliis  doctrine  (popish  doctrine),  and  which  have  not 
known  the  depths  of  Satan,  as  they  speak ;  I  will  put  upon  you 
none  other  burden,'^  The  depths  of  Satan  are,  as  the  Albigenses 
and  Waldenses  used  to  call  them,  the  cunning  policy  and  the  stra- 
tagems, by  which  popery,  guided  by  Satan,  was  enabled  to  draw  to 
its  idolatry  all  the  people,  which  were  enslaved  by  its  satanic  delu- 
sions. Christians  have  nothing  else  to  do  than  to  be  faithful,  and 
to  contend  for  the  faith  which  was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints,  to 
hold  it  fast  till  the  Lord  comes ;  for  his  work  is  to  believe  on  him 
whom  he  hath  sent  (John  6  :  29).  *'  And  he  that  overcometh,  and 
keepeth  my  words  unto  the  end,  to  him  will  I  give  power  over  the 
nations  :  and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron;  as  the  vessels 
of  a  potter  shall  they  be  broken  to  shivers  :  even  as  I  received  of 
my  Father.  And  I  will  give  him  the  morning  star.''  If  Christians 
are,  now,  trampled  under  foot  by  the  Papists,  called  "  the  nations,^' 
the  time  will  come  when  they  shall  have  power  over  them.  And, 
as  Jesus  has  received  power  over  the  nations,  to  rule  them  by  his 
providence,  with  a  rod  of  iron,  with  wars,  famine,  pestilence,  and 
tempests,  which  are  the  rod  of  the  Lord,  so  Christians  shall  have 
this  power  to  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron  in  the  great  day  of  the 
Lord,  called  "  the  vintage/'  in  Armageddon,  the  mountain  of  de- 
struction. This  day  is  called:  ^'The  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb"  (19  :  9-21).  Christians  of  every  age  have  a  share  in  the 
combat  and  triumph ;  for  they  shall  follow  their  Master  upon  white 
horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean  ;  as  they  are,  now, 
living  in  the  night  of  popery,  they  receive  the  morning  star,  shin- 
ing in  the  firmament,  before  the  rising  of  the  sun,  to  scatter  the 
darkness  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  This  morning  star  is,  for 
the  conqueror,  the  token  of  the  light  and  glory  by  which  he  shall 
be  surrounded,  when  the  sun  of  righteousness  shall  arise  and  shine 
with  all  his  strength,  though  he  is  now,  in  his  present  condition, 
as  in  a  wild  desert,  a  prey  to  distress  and  misery. 

The  words  :  ''  But  unto  you  I  say,  and  unto  the  rest  in  Thya- 
tira,"  are  addressed  to  the  churches,  as  they  were  before  the 
crusade  against  them,  and  to  the  "rest,"  which  had  escaped  from 
the  massacre.  It  is  of  this  rent  that  the  Church  of  Sardis  is  the 
emblem^  in  the  following  chapter. 

4* 


42  COMMENTARY. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    SEVEN    CHURCHES    CONTINUED — THE     CHURCHES   OF    SARDIS, 
PHILADELPHIA,    AND   LAODICEA. 

V.  Letter  to  the  Church  in  Sardis,  a  type  of  the  state  of  the  Church  from  the 
destruction  of  the  jilbigenses,  in  12G0,  to  the  Reformation  in  1517. 

V.  1-6.  "  And  unto  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Sardis  write :  These 
things  saith  he  that  hath  the  seven  Spirits  of  God,  and  the  seven  stars;  I 
know  thy  works,  that  thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead.  Be 
watchful,  and  strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  are  ready  to  die;  for 
I  have  not  found  thy  works  perfect  before  God.  Remember  therefore  how 
thou  hast  received  and  heard,  and  hold  fast,  and  repent.  If  therefore  thou 
shalt  not  watch,  I  will  come  on  thee  as  a  thief,  and  thou  shah  not  know  what 
hour  I  will  come  upon  thee.  Thou  hast  a  few  names  even  in  Sardis  which 
have  not  defiled  their  garments;  and  they  shall  walk  wiUi  me  in  white;  for 
they  are  worthy. 

"He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white  raiment;  and  I 
will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the  book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name 
before  my  Father,  and  before  his  angels.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches."' 

The  name  '^Sardis"  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words,  '^  sarx^' 
(flesh,  imperfection),  and  ''  deos"  (fear,  ten'or,  apprehension) ; 
and,  then,  according  to  its  etymology,  it  means  "  terror  of  the  flesh," 
and  indicates  that  this  church  is  afraid  of  persecution  and  death. 
This  letter  synchronizes  with  the  sixth  trumpet,  and  contains  the 
incursions  of  the  Turks,  the  destruction  of  the  Greek  churches, 
and  the  taking  of  Constantinople  in  1453. 

At  the  reading  of  this  letter,  we  feel  pained,  and  we  have  a  just 
idea  of  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  the  14th  and  15th  centuries. 
During  the  preceding  ages  of  the  Church,  though  Christians  were 
hidden  among  the  Papists,  as  in  a  wilderness,  like  the  seven  thou- 
sand, who,  in  the  time  of  Elijah,  had  not  kneeled  down  before 
Baal,  when  Israel  went  astray,  there  were  to  be  found  men  full  of 
energy  and  Christian  life,  to  contend  for  true  Christianity,  and  to 
oppose  the  overwhelming  papal  heresies  and  idolatry. 

When  the  Bishop  of  Rome  attempted,  at  first,  to  usurp  the  title 
of  universal  bishop,  all  the  churches  opposed  his  usurpation ;  the 
sword  of  Charlemagne  was  required  to  impose  the  Latin  liturgy  upon 
the  churches  of  France,  Germany,  and  Italy.  A  crowd  of  athletic 
champions  arose  to  oppose  transubstantiation,  as  soon  as  the 
monster  appeared.     All  the  German   churches  protested  against 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  43 

celibacy,  and  many  dared  even  to  proclaim  that  the  popes  were 
Antichrist.  But  in  these  centuries,  the  ignorance  and  degradation 
of  mankind  are  at  their  worst.  Superstition  or  the  terror  of 
tortures  has  enchained  the  voice  of  men.  All  the  clergy,  monks 
and  priests,  are  prostituted  to  lewdness,  the  fruit  of  celibacy,  and 
the  popes  hold  undisputedly  the  universal  sceptre.  Nevertheless, 
in  the  midst  of  the  general  corruption,  there  are  yet  some  few 
learned  men,  as  Gerson,  president  of  the  faculty  of  Paris,  and  some 
others,  who  seemed  to  have  preserved  a  Christian  life  and  faith  in 
its  purity ;  but  the  most  of  them  had  but  a  vain  piety ;  and  their 
science  in  divinity  was  but  the  pedant  jargon  of  the  school  of  Plato. 
When  these  men  saw  even  three  popes  contending,  at  the  same 
time,  for  popedom,  as  wild  beasts  for  their  prey,  they  asked  with 
loud  cries  the  reformation  of  the  Church  in  her  chief  and  members. 
It  was  for  that  object  that  the  Council  of  Constance  was  held,  in 
1414.  But  if  they  had  courage  enough  to  depose  John  XXIL,  as 
a  heretic^  an  adulterer,  and  a.  murderer,  they  had  the  baseness — 
Gerson  himself — to  condemn  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague  to 
be  burnt  at  the  stake.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  Gerson,  having 
witnessed  the  fluth,  virtue,  and  holy  eloquence  of  these  martyrs,  left 
his  public  office  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement, 
when  he  probably  wrote  the  book  of  the  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Had  these  men  had  living  faith  in  the  Council  of  Constance,* 
they  could  have  delivered  the  people  from  the  papal  bondage.  For 
Philip  the  Fair  of  France,  by  putting  the  Pope,  Boniface  VIII. , 
into  prison,  had  dreadfully  wounded  papacy,  which  was  cast,  then, 
into  a  bed  for  some  days  (2  :  22),  as  a  sick  person ;  and  their 
schisms  and  mutual  excommunications,  as  well  as  their  crimes,  had 
begun  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  people.  But  they  did  not  get  any- 
thing by  the  circumstances,  for  'Hhey  had  a  name  that  they  lived, 
and  were  dead." 

1.  Jesus  Christ  takes  the  title  ^of  "he  who  hath  the  seven 
Spirits  of  God,  and  the  seven  stars,'' ^'s  In  the  first  chapter,  to  show 
that  he  is  the  dispensator  of  the  gifts  of  the  same  Spirit,  which  is 
manifested  more  or  less,  according  to  the  aptitude  of  the  seven 
angels  or  pastors  of  the  churches.  As  there  are  seven  churches, 
directed  by  seven  angels,  it  maybe  said  that  there  are  seven  spirits 
to  show  the  special  dispensation  of  the  same  Spirit  to  every  minis- 
ter and  every  church.  As  Jesus  knows  the  works  of  the  mini.'^tors 
of  this  period,  he  declares  that  they  are  dead,  though  they  were 

*  According  to  Helvidins,  this  council  was  composed  of  the  emperor,  of 
4  patriarchs,  29  cardinal?,  34(3  prelates,  5G4  abbots  and  doctors,  1G,000 
secular  princes  and  noblemen,  4500  prostitutes,  GOO  barbers,  and  320  musi- 
cians and  mountebanks. 


44  CO  M  :»I  £  N  T  A R  Y. 

looked  upon  as  learned  divines.  Their  writings  were  deprived  of 
the  unction  of  grace  ;  for  the  witnesses  had  power  to  shut  heaven, 
that  it  rained  not  in  the  d-djs  of  their  prophecy  (11  :  6) ;  and  beiug 
dead  in  faith,  they  could  not  receive  the  heavenly  dew  to  impart  a 
true  knowledge  of  Christianity.  Therefore  he  invites  them  to  be 
watchful,  and  to  strengthen  the  things  which  remain,  that  is,  the 
little  faith  which  is  ready  to  die,  in  their  hearts,  divided  between 
God  and  man,  or  to  strengthen  the  rest  of  Christians,  who  have 
escaped  from  the  destruction  of  the  Albigenses,  and  of  the  Mora- 
vian churches, 

2.  They  must  "  remember  how  they  have  received  and  heard, 
and  hold  fast,  and  repent.''  They  must  render  an  account  of  the 
talents,  which  they  have  received,  and  again,  they  must  remember 
how  they  have  heard. — But  what  have  they  heard  ?  Does  not  the 
Holy  Ghost  remind  here  these  men,  who  were  representatives  of  the 
Church,  at  the  Council  of  Constance,  how  they  were  many  times 
astonished  by  the  discourses,  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  of  John 
Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague  ?  They  heard  these  servants  of  Christ, 
describing  the  corruption  of  the  clergy,  and  standing  with  heroism 
for  the  purity  of  the  Christian  faith,  without  being  frightened  by 
the  terrors  of  death.  They  wondered  at  the  faith,  virtue,  faithful- 
ness, and  courage  of  these  martyrs;  but,  instead  of  imitating  their 
faithfulness  and  virtue,  they  flattered  them  to  obtain  from  them  a 
shameful  apostacy.  They  repented  not.  They  condemned  to  be 
burnt  at  the  stake  these  two  faithful  defenders  of  the  expiring  faith 
in  the  Lord.  But  the  Lord  came  soon  upon  them,  as  a  thief,  to 
avenge  the  blood  of  his  servants.  John  Huss  and  his  friend 
Jerome  of  Prague  were  looked  upon  as  saints  even  by  Catholics. 
John  Trocznow,  surnamed  Ziska,  was  the  instrument  with  which 
the  Lord  punished  the  crimes  of  the  persecutors  of  the  Church  in 
Sardis.  He  destroyed,  during  five  years,  all  the  powerful  armies, 
which  the  I]mperor  of  Germany  and  the  Pope  could  enroll  in  the 
papal  kingdoms,  to  sustain  the  anathemas,  which  heretic  Bohemia 
rejected  with  contempt.  After  having  defeated,  with  glory,  during 
twelve  years,  all  the  armies  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Pope,  with 
iron  flails  for  arms,  the  deputies  of  Bohemia  entered  triumphantly 
into  the  Council  of  Basle,  with  swords  in  hands,  in  the  midst  of  a 
multitude  wondering  at  their  heroism.  They  obtained  from  that 
Council  the  permission  of  reading  the  Scriptures  and  continuing 
the  use  of  the  cup  in  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

3.  The  few  names  even  in  Sardis  which  have  not  defiled  their 
garments,  are  the  scattered  remainders  of  the  Albigenses,  the 
Waldenses,  in  their  mountains,  the  disciples  of  Wickliffe,  Cobham, 
in  England,  Paul  Craw,  in  Scotland,  John  Huss,  Jerome  of  Prague, 


COMMENTARY.  45 

and  their  followers  in  Bohemia  and  Moravia.  They  shall  walk 
with  the  Lord  in  white  raiments,  ^'for  they  are  worthy.'^  The 
white  garments  are  the  emblem  of  holiness,  and  of  the  adoption  of 
sons  of  God.  They  are  garments  of  honor  and  glory  in  heaven 
(7  :  13-15).  These  servants  have  not  denied  the  Lord  before  men, 
therefore  Jesus  will  not  deny  then]  before  his  Father,  and  he  will 
not  blot  their  names  out  of  the  book  of  life.  Let  worldly  men 
strive,  if  they  wish,  to  have  their  names  inscribed  on  the  marble  of 
pompous  edifices,  or  at  the  head  of  difficult  enterprises  and  glorious 
deeds,  for  me,  0  son  of  God,  my  only  ambition  shall  be  henceforth 
that  my  name  should  be  written  in  thy  book  of  life. 


VI.  Letter  to  the  Church  in  Philadelphia,  a  type  of  the  Reformation  in  15 il  to 
1G88,  when  England  bccaine  Protestant,  after  the  destrv.ction  of  the  two  tvit 
nesses  at  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 

V.  7-13.  "And  to  the  angel  of  the  church  in  Philadelphia  write:  These 
things  saith  he  that  is  holy,  he  that  is  true,  he  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  he 
that  openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth  ;  and  shutteth  and  no  man  openeth  ;  I 
know  thy  works:  behold,  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man 
can  shut  it:  for  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast  kept  my  word,  and  hast 
not  denied  my  name.  Behold,  I  will  make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan, 
which  say  they  are  Jews,  and  are  not,  but  do  lie ;  behold,  I  will  make  them 
to  come  and  worship  before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have  loved  thee. 

"Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee 
from  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  v^-orld,  to  try 
them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth.  Behold,  I  come  quickly:  hold  that  fast 
which  thou  hast,  that  no  man  take  thy  crown.  Him  that  overcometh  will  I 
make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out :  and  I 
will  write  upon  him  the  name  of  my  God,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  my 
God,  ichich  is  new  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven  from  my 
God  :  and  /  will  ivrite  vpon  him  my  new  name.  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let 
him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches." 

The  name  of  Philadelphia,  composed  of  two  Greek  words, 
''philos'^  (friend),  and  " adcljjhos"  (brother,  equal),  signifies  ''bro- 
therly love,"  and  represents  the  state  of  the  Church  from  the  Ee- 
formation  to  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  King  of  England, 
in  1688,  when  he  proclaimed  Protestantism  the  religion  of  his 
kingdom,  and  checked  all  persecution  against  Protestantism.  It 
synchronizes  with  the  Ileformation  in  the  tenth  chapter,  with  its 
progress  in  the  fourteenth  chapter,  verses  l-lo,  and  the  slaying  of 
the  witnesses  in  the  eleventh,  verses  1-14. 

1.  Let  us  remember  that  the  Bishop  of  Home,  since  his  apostacy, 
has  seated  himself  in  the  temple  of  God,  as  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  or 


46  COMMENTARY. 

Grod  on  the  earth;  that  he  has  ordered  that  he  should  be  called  the 
"  Holy  Father — Holiness  j'^  that  he  has  been  proclaimed  "  infalli- 
ble/' or  true ;  that,  by  the  power  of  the  keys  of  Saint  Peter,  he  opened 
or  shut  heaven — canonizing  his  idolatrous  subjects,  and  sending  to 
hell  the  heretics;  that  he  placed  the  people  and  kingdoms,  rivers 
and  beastSj  under  the  protection  of  his  saints  and  saintesses.  Let 
us  remember  all  these  things,  and  we  shall  understand  why  Jesus 
Christ  entitles  himself  "  he  that  is  holy,  he  that  is  true,  he  that 
hath  the  key  of  David,  he  that  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  and 
shutteth  and  no  man  openeth/'  Is  it  not  the  Master  who  comes 
and  strips  the  usurper  of  his  titles  ?  Thou  sayest,  0  pope,  that 
thou  art  holy — it  is  I  who  am  holy ;  that  thou  art  infallible — it  is 
I  who  am  true  and  my  word ;  that  thou  hast  the  key  of  the  son  of 
David,  of  his  eternal  kingdom— it  is  I  who  have  it.  If,  as  an  un- 
faithful servant  during  the  absence  of  his  master,  thou  couldst 
impose  upon  men  and  tell  them  that  thou  art  the  master  of  the 
house,  and  open  the  door  to  a  murderer  Dominic  and  to  thy  vile 
and  idolatrous  flatterers,  and  shut  it  to  my  servants,  who  protested 
against  thy  criminal  usurpations  and  idolatry,  there  is  appeal  from 
thy  judgment ;  for  it  is  I  that  open  and  no  man  shutteth,  and  that 
shut  and  no  man  openeth ;  for  it  is  by  the  seed  of  Abraham,  the  son 
of  David,  that  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed  and 
saved. 

2.  The  Lord  knows  the  works  of  his  Church ;  he  knows  with 
what  intrepidity  the  Hussites  fought  in  Bohemia  to  keep  his  word; 
how  the  rest  of  the  Albigenses  forsook  all,  to  keep  his  name  and  his 
commandments  ;  how  the  Waldenses  and  Lollards,  surrounded  with 
cruel  enemies,  wished  for  better  days,  and  tlie  Lord  will  set  before 
them  an  open  door — the  lleformation — and  no  man,  king  or  pope, 
can  shut  it.  For  they  have  but  a  little  strength.  The  rest  of  the 
Albigenses,  being  scattered  in  the  woods,  they  could  not  stand 
against  their  powerful  enemies.  The  Hussites  were  exhausted  by 
a  long  war  of  nearly  twenty  j^ears  ;  their  pastors  had  been  burnt  at 
the  stake,  and  the  others  were  obliged  to  study  the  art  of  war  instead 
of  studying  the  word  of  God;  but  notwithstanding  all,  they  had 
kept  his  word,  and  had  not  denied  his  name.  Therefore,  the  Lord, 
merciful  unto  them,  will  open  a  door,  to  escape  from  their  enemies, 
and  give  them  fellow-Christians.  But  how  shall  it  be  done? 
Listen  ! 

3.  "Behold,  I  will  make  them  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan 
(Papists),  which  say  they  are  Jews  (the  people  of  God,  his  true 
church)  and  are  not,  but  lie  ;  behold,  I  will  make  them  to  come 
and  worship  before  thy  feet,  and  to  know  that  I  have  loved  thee." 
There  is  some  mystery  in  these  words  of  our  Lord ;  for  he  repeats 


COMMENTARY.  47 

many  times  the  word  '^behold/'  to  render  us  attentive.  Are  not 
those  of  the  synagogue  of  Satan  the  same  men  whom  we  have  seen 
seduced  by  the  woman  Jezebel,  in  the  letter  to  the  Church  of  Per- 
gamos,  where  Satan's  seat  is,  and  where  Antipas  was  slain  ?  They 
are  the  same  persons,  the  Papists,  whom  the  Lord  will  draw  with 
the  chains  of  his  love  to  worship  at  the  feet  of  his  faithful  servants, 
the  rest  of  his  Church,  to  whom  he  will  give  more  strength.  They 
shall  learn  at  their  feet,  as  Paul  at  the  feet  of  Gramaliel,  to  worship 
and  serve  God  in  spirit  and  truth;  they  shall  have  the  same 
faith,  the  same  worship,  and  the  same  Lord.  They  shall  know 
that  the  Lord  has  loved  these  long-persecuted  servants,  who  have 
been  sealed  to  keep  his  word,  and  to  inherit  his  eternal  kingdom. 
Papists  say  that  they  are  Christians,  the  true  Church  of  Grod ;  but 
they  are  not,  they  lie  :  They  are  the  synagogue  of  Satan. 

4.  ^'  Because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  will  also 
keep  thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall  come  upon  all 
the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth."  Compare  this 
verse  with  7  :  9-17  ;  11  :  7-14 ;  14  :  12-13,  and  you  will  under- 
stand that  these  passages  synchronize  one  with  the  other,  and  point 
out  the  great  persecution  of  Louis  XIV.,  when  the  two  witnesses 
were  slain,  as  it  shall  be  proved  hereafter.  They  were  tempted, 
being  forced  by  torments  to  submit  to  the  Roman  Church,  to  confess, 
and  go  to  mass,  or  to  be  ruined  and  destroyed  by  the  dragoonings, 
or  armies  of  dragoons.  "    -_   ._. 

As  soon  as  the  Reformation  was  proclaimed,  the  pope  and  the 
kings,  his  vassals,  tried  to  put  it  down.  But  it  was  in  vain  ;  for  it 
was  the  Lord  who  had  set  this  open  door  before  his  Church,  and  no 
man  could  shut  it.  Then  the  woman  Jezebel  said  unto  her  king  : 
''Dost  thou  now  govern  the  kingdom  of  Israel?  Arise,  and  eat 
bread,  and  let  thine  heart  be  merry ;  I  will  give  thee  the  vineyard 
of  Naboth  the  Jezreelite"  (1  Kings  21  :  7).  She  wrote  letters  to 
the  governors  of  the  kingdom,  and  poor  Naboth  was  slain.  They 
celebrated  a  feast-day,  called  in  the  annals  of  history  ''  St.  Bar- 
tholomew's Massacre,"  in  which  eighty  thousand  Protestants  were 
massacred,  in  1572.  But  this  was  not  yet  the  hour  of  tempta- 
tion; nor  was  it,  when,  in  1641,  two  hundred  thousand  Protestants 
were  slaughtered  in  Ireland  by  Papists.  It  was  at  the  revocation 
of  the  Pjdict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV.,  when  about  five  millions  of 
Protestants  were  obliged  either  to  leave  France,  or  to  turn  Papists, 
or  to  die.  They  chose  rather  to  abandon  France,  or  to  die,  and  no 
man  could  take  their  crown.  Persecution  was  raging,  at  the  same 
time,  among  the  Waldenses ;  and  James  II.  of  England  was  also 
prepared  to  destroy  Protestantism  in  his  kingdom.  (Sec  the  death 
of  the  witnesses,  11  :  7-14.) 


48  COMMENTARY. 

The  Lord  had  promised  to  come  quickly  to  relieve  them.  He 
had  endowed  a  young  hero  with  his  most  precious  gifts ;  he  had 
nourished  him  from  childhood^  with  the  milk  of  his  word ;  he 
had  saved  him  from  the  slaughter  of  St,  Bartholomew's  Day,  in 
order  that  he  should  be  the  avenger  of  the  blood  of  his  brethren. 
Henry  IV.,  with  fifteen  hundred  men  and  the  protection  of  God, 
came,  besieged,  and  desolated  by  the  most  fearful  famine,  the  city 
which  had  shed  the  blood  of  the  saints  ;  but  he  was  unfaithful  to 
his  mission,  and  for  the  reward  of  his  apostacy,  he  fell  by  the 
dagger  of  the  Lord's  enemies.  Louis  XIV.  had  pronounced  that 
Protestantism  was  at  an  end;  but  a  greater  than  the  great  Louis 
XIV.  told  them  "Come  up  hither!"  and  they  ascended  up  to  the 
throne  of  England,  before  their  enemies,  to  show,  as  by  the  Dioclesian 
Persecution,  which  was  followed  by  the  destruction  of  paganism, 
that,  notwithstanding  the  savage  persecutions  of  men,  the  Lord  will 
bring  forth  out  of  persecutions  the  triumph  of  his  Church  over  her 
enemies. 

5.  "  Him  that  overcometh  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of 
my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more  out ;  and  I  will  write  upon  hira 
the  name  of  my  Clod,  and  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God,  which 
is  new  Jerusalem,  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven  from  my 
God ;  and  I  will  write  upon  him  my  new  name."  Who  overcame 
popery  ?  Luther,  Melancthon,  Calvin,  Zuingle,  and  all  their  fol- 
lowers. Have  they  been  made  pillars  in  the  Reformation  ?  It  is 
in  vain  that  they  have  been  slandered  and  cursed  by  popery  ;  their 
memory  has  come  to  us  brighter  and  brighter.  The  name  of  God 
is  written  upon  them.  Popery  could  blot  out  the  teachings  of  the 
apostles,  and  set  up  idolatry  over  the  ruins  of  Christianity,  as  it 
had  been  taught  by  the  apostles;  but  it  shall  not  be  the  same  with 
the  Reformation  and  its  authors.  The  Lord  will  seal  them  with 
his  name,  and  acknowledge  ''Protestantism"  for  the  bride  of  the 
Lamb,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  heaven  ;  for  it  is 
built  up  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets.  ''  I  will 
write  upon  him  the  name  of  the  city  of  my  God,  and  my  new 
name  ;"  I  will  sanction  and  ratify  the  work  of  the  Reformers  ;  I 
will  write  my  new  name  "  Protestant"  upon  them,  and  upon  their 
work  ;  I  acknowledge  them  as  my  apostles,  to  be  pillars  of  my 
Church;  and  their  reformed  religion  for  the  new  Jerusalem,  instead 
of  Catholicism  corrupted  by  popery,  which  I  have  spewed  out  of  my 
mouth.  Therefore  we  see  evidently  that  Jesus,  the  angel  of  the 
Reformation  (10  :  1),  ratifies  here  the  work  of  the  Reformers,  and 
acknowledges  them  to  be,  as  the  apostles,  entitled  to  build  up  his 
Church  upon  the  old  foundation.  And,  if  men  refuse  them  the 
nameof  (Christians,  and  call  thorn  "  I^otestants,"  and  their  religion 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  49 

^'Protestantism,"  the  Lord  adopts  these  new  names,  and  seals  them 
with  his  own  name,  declaring  that  the  former  Christianity,  esta- 
bhshed  by  the  apostles,  having  been  corrupted  by  popish  errors 
and  superstitions,  he  adopts  Protestantism  for  the  new  Jerusalem, 
as  she  came  down  at  first  from  heaven,  from  God ;  and  she  shall  be 
acknowledged  publicly  for  the  Lamb's  wife,  in  the  great  day  of  the 
destruction  of  his  enemies  (19  :  7-9),  which  is  the  marriage  supper 
of  the  Lamb. 


VII. — Letter  to  the  Church  of  the  Laodiceans,  a  type  of  the  state  of  the  Church 
from  IGSS  i'o  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  iindthe  Millenniuin. 

V.  14-22.  "  And  unto  the  angoi  of  the  churcli  of  the  Laodiceans  -write  : 
These  things  saith  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  witness,  the  beginning  of 
the  creation  of  God ;  I  know  thy  works  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot : 
I  woukl  thou  wert  cold  or  hot.  So  then  because  thou  art  lukewarm  and 
neither  cold  nor  hot,  I  will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth.  Because  thou  sayest, 
I  am  rich  and  increased  with  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing;  and  knowest 
not  that  thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind  ;  I  counsel 
thee  to  buy  of  me  gold  tried  in  the  fire,  that  thou  mayest  be  rich  ;  and  white 
raiment,  that  thou  mayest  be  clothed,  and  that  the  shame  of  thy  nakedness 
do  not  appear;  and  anoint  thine  eyes  with  eye-salve,  that  thou  mayest  see. 
As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten  :  be  zealous,  therefore,  and  repent. 

"Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock:  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me. 
To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I 
also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne.  He  that 
hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches." 

The  name  '^  Laodicea"  is  composed  of  two  Greek  words,  "  laos'^  / 
(people),  and  "dike"  (judgment,  sentence),  and  means  therefore 
'^  the  judgment  of  the  people."  This  period  of  the  churches  is 
thus  called,  because,  at  the  end  of  this  age,  the  people  shall  be  in 
the  hands  of  God,  the  instrumentality  made  use  of  to  destroy  great 
Babylon  (17  :  16,  17  ;  Dan.  7  :  26).  This  period  synchronizes  with 
the  seventh  trumpet,  which  contains  the  seven  vials  of  the  wrath 
of  God,  represented,  the  six  first,  under  the  emblem  of  harvest,  and 
the  last,  under  that  of  vintage  (11  :  15-19;  14  :  9-20;  16  :  1-21; 
18  and  19),  which  are  the  scourges  by  which  the  enemies  of  the 
churches  shall  be  destroyed. 

1.  Jesus  Christ  takes  here  the  title  of  "  the  Amen,  the  faithful 
and  true  witness,  the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  God,"  because 
he  is  the  long  expectation  of  Israel,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thou- 
sand, and  the  pearl  of  great  price,  which  we  should  buy  with  all 
we  have.  He  is  the  faithful  and  true  witness,  because  he  knows 
the  will  of  the  Father,  and  his  word  is  true  and  immutable.    He 


50  C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

is  tlie  beginning  of  the  creation  of  God,  the  first  born,  to  whom  all 
the  blessings  belong.  Therefore,  we  must  receive  the  testimony, 
which  he  has  given  us,  in  his  word,  and  we  ought  not  to  be  tossed 
about  as  children  in  the  faith  :  we  must  trust  in  him ;  for  he  is  our 
God,  our  righteousness,  wisdom,  sanctification,  and  redemption.  If 
his  testimony  be  certain,  and  his  promises  sure ;  if  he  be,  indeed, 
our  God,  our  Redeemer,  and  our  hope  of  happiness  and  glory,  our 
lukewarmness  and  indifference  are  unpardonable  sins.  Our  religion 
is  either  true  or  false ;  if  it  is  true,  it  is  our  most  precious  treasure ; 
if  it  is  false,  it  is  the  most  audacious  imposture ;  and,  then,  we  must 
stand  for  or  against  its  author,  ,  He  that  is  slothful  in  his  work  is 
brother  to  him  that  is  a  great  Master.^  If  worldly  men  are  cold  for 
religion,  they  are  consequent  with  their  principles ;  and  Jesus  de- 
clares that  their  condition  is  better  than  that  of  lukewarm  and  in- 
different professors  of  his  religion. 

2.  'M  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot."  The 
distinctive  character  of  this  age  of  the  Church  is  lukewarmness. 
The  languor  of  the  Protestant  churches,  since  persecution  has 
ceased,  is  known  to  everybody.  Hence  the  Socinians,  Universal- 
ists,  Unitarians,  and  the  Puseyites,  spewed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord,  came  out  of  these  lukewarm  churches.  These  churches  did 
nothing,  during  the  eighteenth  century,  either  to  enlighten  the  un- 
fortunate victims  of  popery,  or  to  carry  the  gospel  into  pagan  coun- 
tries. It  was  but  in  the  beginning  of  this  century  that  some  few 
Christians,  awakened  from  their  slumber,  formed  the  Bible 
Society  in  England;  and  soon  after,  the  Missionary  Societies.  And 
yet  how  many  churches  and  pastors  look  upon  that  work  with  in- 
difference, not  to  say,  with  hostility. 

This  lukewarmness  is  grounded  upon  a  false  presumption,  enter- 
taining high  thoughts  about  themselves  and  their  privileges,  with- 
out respect  to  their  obligations,  and  responsibility.  They  have  the 
word  of  God;  they  enjoy  the  liberty  of  worship  ;  they  are  not  trou- 
bled with  persecutions;  the  ministers  are  paid  like  public  officers  ; 
why  should  they  raise  difficulties  on  their  way  ?  Why  should  they 
go  to  preach  the  word  of  God  to  the  Papists  or  to  heathens? 
"  They  are  rich,  and  increased  with  goods,"  not  by  their  own  works, 
but  by  those  of  their  noble  ancestors;  and,  because  they  do  not 
worship  images,  and  are  not  deceived  by  the  priestly  quackery,  and 
enjoy  the  favors  of  men,  they  suppose  that  they  have  need  of 
nothing.  But  Jesus,  the  true  witness,  declares  that  they  are 
''wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked" — 
wretched  and  miserable,  because  they  do  not  know  their  true  con- 
dition, which  is  worse  than  that  of  worldly  men  and  great  sinners — 
poor,  because  they  have  no  provision  for  their  soul,  being  full  of 


C  U  M  MEN  T  A  11  Y.  51 

presumption,  and  of  that  sufficiency,  winch  gives  the  Pharisaic 
spirit ;  blind  and  naked,  because  they  do  not  consult  the  word  of 
God  to  see  their  poverty  and  nakedness.  "  I  would  thou  wert  cold 
or  hot :  so  then  because  thou  art  lukewarm,  I  will  spew  thee  out  of 
my  mouth." 

3.  The  word  "mouth  of  God"  represents  the  religion  of  God,  as 
the  "  mouth  of  the  serpent"  (12  :  15),  represents  "  idolatry, 
paganism,"  the  religion  of  the  devil.  Therefore,  as  lukewarm 
water  provokes  vomiting,  lukewarmness  in  a  Christian  provokes 
the  heart  of  Jesus,  and  he  will  cast  him  out  of  his  Church.  They 
are  not  the  Socinians  themselves,  neither  the  Universalists,  nor  the 
Puseyites,  who  abandon  Protestantism  :  it  is  Jesus,  who  spews  them 
out  of  his  mouth.  They  suppose  that  they  are  rich,  learned,  full  of 
knowledge,  merits,  and  the  Lord  abandons  them  to  their  Satanic 
illusions,  and  spews  them  out  of  his  Church.  No  other  cause  can 
be  imagined  to  account  for  the  apostacy  of  a  man,  enjoying  his  un- 
derstanding, being  acquainted  with  the  word  of  God,  and  with  the 
crimes  of  popery,  and  professing  to  believe  in  the  divine  authority 
of  the  Bible.  The  Lord,  who  knows  the  condition  of  their  hearts 
and  thoughts,  invites  them  to  buy  from  him  gold  tried  in  the  fire 
(the  righteousness  of  the  cross.  Is.  55  :  1-3),  that  they  may  be 
rich  •  and  white  raiment  (emblem  of  holiness),  washed  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb  (7  :  13-17)  ;  and  to  anoint  their  eyes  with  eye-salve 
(medicament  to  cure  the  inflammation  of  the  eyes),  that  they  may 
see  their  poor  condition,  and  submit  themselves,  as  little  children, 
to  the  teachings  of  his  word,  and  to  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  will  open  their  eyes  and  give  them  the  true  riches,  righteous- 
ness and  holiness,  without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord. 

4.  "As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten  :  be  zealous  there- 
fore, and  repent.  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock."  The 
Lord  loves  Protestants,  because  their  ancestors  suffered  persecution 
for  his  word,  and  his  name's  sake.  But  he  cannot  bear  with  their 
lukewarmness;  therefore  he  rebukes  them.  They  want  repen- 
tance, and  they  should  have  more  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  their 
fellow-men,  to  whom  mercenary  .shepherds  say :  "  Peace,  peace  !  and 
there  is  no  peace."  '•  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  :  if  any 
one  hear  ray  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will 
sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me."  Behold,  the  signs  of  the  times ! 
Behold,  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  are  shaken.  Here  is  the  time 
when  he  will  take  possession  of  his  everlasting  kingdom :  he  ad- 
dresses them  an  appeal ;  will  they  come  and  take  a  part  in  his  great 
work  ?  Behold !  examine,  and  learn  what  are  the  signs  of  the 
times  !  Do  you  not  see  that  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock  ?  Do 
you  not  see  the  storm  ready  to  burst  over  the  old  Europe?     If  any 


^Z  CO  M  M  E  N  T  A 11 Y. 

one  hear  1113^  voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me,  as  two  friends  at  the  same  table — he  shall  be  admitted  to 
the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb,  for  his  v/ife  hath  made  herself 
ready  (19  :  7—9),  and  to  the  marriage  of  the  king's  son  ;  but  he 
ought  to  have  on  the  wedding  garment  (Matt.  22  :  1—14),  and  oil 
in  his  lamp.  It  is  evident  that  these  words,  '^  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock,''  "I  will  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me,"  synchronize 
with  the  nineteenth  chapter,  in  which  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  are 
destroyed,  and  his  eternal  kingdom  set  up  on  the  ruin  of  the  king- 
doms of  this  world,  which  ruin  is  called  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb  (19  :  7-9),  because  in  that  great  da}'-,  he  acknowledges 
publicly  his  long-persecuted  Church  as  his  bride. 

5.  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my 
throne."  The  reward,  promised  here,  proves  also  evidently  that  the 
Lord  is  at  the  eve  of  taking  possession  of  his  kingdom.  For  that 
reason,  he  invites  his  disciples  to  fight  with  him,  in  order  that  they 
should  triumph  with  him  and  sit  with  him  in  his  throne.  Compare 
these  texts  with  the  fifteenth  verse  of  the  sixteenth  chapter,  and  from 
the  sixth  to  the  twenty-first  verse  of  the  nineteenth  chapter,  in 
which  the  battle  of  Armageddon  is  described  under  the  name  of 
vintage,  and  you  will  be  convinced  that  all  these  passages  synchro- 
nize, and  consequently  that  the  letters  are  types  of  seven  different 
ages  of  the  Church,  as  the  admonition,  repeated  at  the  end  of  every 
letter  intimates  it :  "  He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what  the 
Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches.  '^  This  explanation  agrees  with  his- 
tory, and  presents  a  perfect  picture  of  all  the  events,  which  shall 
be  more  fully  developed  in  the  course  of  the  prophecy,  of  which  it 
is  like  an  exordium.  There  is,  therefore,  no  other  consistent  expo- 
sition to  be  given  of  these  letters.* 

*  In  reference  to  tlie  present  condition  of  tlie-^e  cities  of  Asia  Minor, 
it  is  said,  in  a  letter  of  Irenaus,  from  the  East,  New  York  Observer,  March 
2,  1854:— 

'•  The  scholar  is  interested  in  Smyrna  (which  possesses  ISOjOOO  inliabitants) 
as  the  reputed  birthplace  of  Homer, — this  being  one  of  those  of  which  it  is 
said  : — 

'Seven  cities  claiineri  tlie  Momer  dead, 
Tlirougli  which  tlie  living  Homer  begged  his  bread.' 

The  ancients  celebrated  it  under  the  names  of  The  Lovely,  the  Crown  of 
Ionia,  the  Ornament  of  Asia,  and  perhaps  we  should  have  admired  it  more, 
had  we  not  recently  come  from  the  Bosphorus,  where  nature  has  done  more 
to  beautify  the  site  of  a  town  than  in  any  other  region  which  I  have  yet 
seen,  in  any  part  of  the  world.  But  the  chief  interest  in  Smyrna,  which  the 
Cliristian  traveller  finds,  is  in  the  fact,  that  here  was  one  of  the  eeven 
churches  of  Asia,  of  which  mention  is  made  by  St.  John  in  the  Apocalypse, 


COMMENTARY.  58 

And  now,  before  showing  us,  under  emblems  and  images,  the 
events  which  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  seven  periods  of  the  Church, 
which  have  been  delineated  in  the  picture  of  the  seven  churches, 
the  prophet  introduces  us  to  the  foot  of  the  throne  of  Jehovah, 
holding,  in  his  right  hand,  the  book  in  which  these  events  are 
contained.  Jesus  comes  and  takes  the  book  out  of  his  right  hand, 
to  open  it  and  to  loose  its  seals,  intimating  that  it  is  God  the 
Father  who  holds  the  series  of  all  events,  and  that  Jesus  overrules 
them  by  his  invisible  power,  until  his  enemies  shall  be  subdued, 
and  his  kingdom  set  up  on  the  ruins  of  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world. 

the  others  being  in  the  same  region,  and  accessible  by  journeys  of  a  few 
successive  hours.  Ephesus,  where  John  resided,  is  only  twelve  hours  off,  and 
near  the  coast,  but  the  ruins  of  the  great  temple  of  Diana  of  the  Ephesians, 
one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world,  are  no  longer  to  be  seen ;  even  the 
site  is  not  to  be  pointed  out.  It  was  burnt  by  an  incendiary  who  wished  to 
make  his  name  immortal  in  connection  with  "the  ruin  of  such  a  temple. 
The  wild  beast  prowls  now,  where  once  was  the  most  splendid  edifice  of 
its  time  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Laodicea,  another  of  the  seven,  is  now 
deserted,  though  the  ruins  of  temples  and  theatres  plainly  mark  the  site. 
Philadelphia  has  three  thousand  houses  and  is  the  residence  of  tlie  Greek 
bishop.  Sardis  consists  of  a  few  shepherd's  huts,  and  a  mill  on  the  river 
Pactohis,  where  golden  sands  were  once  so  famed.  Thyatira  is  full  of 
ruins;  the  mouths  of  the  wells  are  made  of  the  capitals  of  beautiful  columns, 
and  the  streets  in  many  parts  are  paved  with  fragments  of  carved  stone, 
relics  of  the  ancient  city.  Pergamos  is  a  magnificent  tomb  of  former  great- 
ness ;  arches  half  buried,  and  columns  in  the  sand,  are  the  mournful  memo- 
rials of  the  place,  where  the  faithful  martyr  Antipas  suffered,  and  where 
Satan's  seat  was  when  the  Apostle  John  wrote  his  letters  to  the  seven 
churches.  Smyrna  is  the  only  one  of  the  seven  cities  that  continues  to  be  a 
place  of  importance.  And  even  Smyrna  of  the  present  is  not  on  the  site  of 
the  former.  It  is  hard  to  make  it  a  fact,  that  time  can  work  such  changes, 
eo  that  places  which  knew  these  vast  cities  know  them  no  more.  Open  to 
the  second  and  third  chapters  of  the  Revelation,  and  read  the  prophecy  and 
warning  there  uttered,  and  observe  the  wonderful  fulfilment  of  every  word. 
All  this  eastern  world  abounds  in  lessons  of  light  and  instruction  on  the 
pages  of  sacred  truth,  and  every  day  of  travel  among  the  islands  of  the 
Archipelago,  or  the  cities  of  Asia  Minor,  invests  those  pages  with  a  reality 
that  they  never  possessed  before.  All  this  is  more  than  classic,  it  is  hal- 
lowed scenery." 


6* 


(\ 


54  CO  M  iM  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


THE    THRONE    OF   GOD    AND    HIS    HEAVENLY    COURT. 

V.  1-5.  "After  this  I  looked,  and  behold,  a  door  teas  opened  in  heaven  : 
and  the  first  voice  which  I  heard  was  as  it  were  of  a  trumpet  talking  with 
me;  which  said,  Come  up  hither,  and  I  will  show  the  things  which  must  be 
hereafter.  And  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit ;  and,  behold,  a  throne  was 
set  in  heaven,  and  one  sat  on  the  throne.  And  he  that  sat  was  to  look  upon 
like  a  jasper  and  a  sardine  stone:  and  there  was  a  rainbow  round  about  the 
throne,  in  sight  like  unto  an  emerald.  And  round  about  the  throne  icere  four- 
and-twenty  seats:  and  upon  the  seats  I  saw  four-and-twenty  elders  sitting, 
clothed  in  white  raiment ;  and  they  had  on  their  heads  crowns  of  gold.  And 
out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings  and  thunderings  and  voices :  and  there 
ivcre  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning  before  the  throne,  which  are  the  seven 
spirits  of  God." 

We  are  witnessing,  in  tlie  fourth  and  fifth  chapter,  with  what 
solemn  majesty  all  things  are  performed  in  the  court  of  the  great 
king,  the  Lord  of  lords,  how  millions  of  saints  and  angels  surround 
the  throne  and  give  equal  praises  and  glory  to  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever  (Is.  6  :  1-12 ;  Dan.  7  :  9-10). 

1.  "  A  door  was  opened  in  heaven."  The  knowledge  of  future 
events  belongs  to  God  alone  :  though  they  have  been  decreed  from 
eternity,  and  written  as  it  were,  in  a  book,  they  are  hidden  from 
our  eyes.  We  cannot  search  out  the  eternal  purpose  of  God, 
unless  he  is  willing  to  open  the  door  of  heaven,  and  permit  his  ser- 
vants to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  things  which  shall  come  to  pass 
hereafter.  We  have  already  been  permitted  to  contemplate,  under 
the  symbols  of  seven  letters,  the  picture  of  seven  different  states  of 
his  Church,  either  oppressed  by  her  persecutors,  or  seduced  by  the 
woman  Jezebel  to  commit  a  spiritual  fornication  and  to  sacrifice  to 
idols.  Now,  the  same  voice  of  the  Son  of  Man,  which  was  like  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet,  because  he  was  to  reveal  to  his  prophet 
scourges,  which  shall  be  heard  of  at  a  great  distance,  said  unto 
him  :  "  Come  up  hither,  and  I  will  show  the  things  which  must  be 
hereafter." 

2.  "And  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit;"  that  is,  his  spirit 
was  set  free  from  the  body  (1  :  10;  Ez.  8  :  1—4);  he  was  in  a  close 
comnumion  with  God,  through  the  powerful  agency  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  he  became  insensible  to  all  the  terrestrial  objects  by 
which  he  was  surrounded.  "  And,  behold,  a  throne  was  set  in 
heaven,  and  one  sat  on  the  throne.     And  he  that  sat  was  to  look 


COMMENTARY.  56' 

upon  like  a  jasper  and  a  sardine  stone;  and  there  was  a  rainbow 
round  about  the  throne,  in  sight  like  unto  an  emerald.'^ 

These  precious  stones,  jasper  and  sardine,  of  a  purple  and  trans- 
parent color,  are  the  emblems  of  the  perfections  of  God,  who  is 
like  a  consuming  fire  for  unrepentant  sinners.  But  there  is  a  rain- 
bow round  about  the  throne,  which  is  the  sign  of  his  covenant  with 
Noah,  to  remind  us  that  in  wrath  he  remembers  mercy,  and  that 
we  can  come,  at  all  times,  to  his  throne  of  grace,  notwithstanding 
our  sinful  condition,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  the  angel  of  his  cove- 
nant, of  which  the  rainbow  is  the  emblem.  The  twenty-four  elders, 
sitting  around  the  throne,  are  the  patriarchs  and  the  apostles,  the 
representatives  of  the  triumphant  church  of  the  ancient  and  of  the 
new  covenant.  The  white  raiment,  with  which  they  are  clothed, 
is  the  emblem  of  the  righteousness  and  holiness  of  Jesus  imputed 
to  them  (7  :  13,  14) ;  and  the  crowns  of  gold,  which  they  have  on 
their  heads,  are  the  signs  of  their  victory  over  the  prince  of  this 
world,  and  the  emblems  of  their  kingly  priesthood  at  the  throne  of 
God  (2  Tim.  4  :  7-8). 

3.  "  And  out  of  the  throne  proceeded  lightnings  and  thunder- 
ings  and  voices.'^  The  lightnings  and  thunderings  are  the  fore- 
runners of  storms,  and  men  understand  very  well  their  language. 
They  are  here  the  emblems  of  the  dreadful  judgments,  by  which 
God  visits  the  sins  of  men,  and  their  language  is  not  often  under- 
stood. History  tells  us  of  famine,  pestilence,  civil  wars,  defeat  of 
powerful  armies,  and  of  the  overthrow  of  kingdoms ;  but  it  does  not 
show  us  the  invisible  hand  of  God,  which  punishes  the  sins  of 
nations,  by  those  awful  calamities.  The  prophet  teaches  us  liere 
that  all  those  terrible  events  proceed  from  the  throne  of  God ;  that 
good  and  evil,  the  prosperity  or  the  fall  of  empires,  proceed  from 
the  same  hand.  For  God  reigneth  ;  the  iniquity  of  the  wicked  is 
not  hidden  before  his  eyes,  and  the  cries  of  the  poor  and  of  the  op- 
pressed are  heard  at  his  throne.  The  seven  lamps  of  fire  burning 
before  the  throne,  are,  as  it  is  said,  "  the  seven  spirits  of  God,"  or 
the  same  Spirit,  manifested,  in  a  special  manner,  during  the  seven 
ages  of  the  Church.  The  prophet  Zechariah  (4  :  10)  says  that  they 
are  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  which  run  to  and  fro  through  the  whole 
earth.  Therefore  there  is  no  darkness,  no  secret  places  before 
him  :  the  storm  closely  follows  the  sin  committed  either  under  the 
cover  of  the  night,  or  in  the  inmost  recess  of  the  forests. 

V.  6-8.  '■  And  before  the  throne  there  was  a  sea  of  glass  like  unto  crj'stal : 
and  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne,  were  four  beasts 
full  of  eyes  before  and  behind.  And  the  first  ivas  like  a  lion,  and  the  second 
beast  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  beast  had  a  face  as  a  man,  and  the  fourtli 
beast  u-os  like  a  flying  eagle      And  tlie  four  beasts  liad  eacli  of  them  six 


56  COMMENTARY. 

wings  about  /am  ;  and  they  tvere  full  of  eyes  within :  and  they  rest  not  day  or 
night,  saying,  holy,  Holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and 
is  to  come." 

1.  "  And  before  the  throne  there  was  a  sea  of  glass  like  unto 
crystal."  It  may  be  said  that  this  sea  of  glass,  figured  by  the 
molten  sea,  wherein  the  priests  were  obliged  to  wash  themselves, 
lest  they  die,  before  entering  into  the  holy  place  appointed  to  offer 
sacrifices  to  God,  is  the  emblem  of  the  grace  and  of  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  which  we  ought  to  be  washed  to  have  a  free 
access  to  the  throne  of  Grod.  It  is  like  unto  crystal,  to  show  that 
the  righteousness  of  Christ,  imputed  to  his  redeemed  people,  is 
perfect,  pure,  and  spotless.  But  it  is  rather  the  emblem  of  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  (15  : 1-3),  represented  as  a  sea,  for  the 
commotions  by  which  they  are  overturned,  and  out  of  which  others 
rise  (Dan.  7  :  2-8).  They  are  like  "a  sea  of  glass,  like  unto  crys- 
tal/' to  show  their  brittleness,  like  potter's  vessels,  and  to  indicate 
that  God  is  acquainted  with  their  deeds  and  perverse  policy,  which 
he  sees  as  through  a  glass.  The  second  verse  of  the  fifteenth  chapter 
shows  evidently  that  such  is  the  meaning  of  this  emblem  ;  for,  at 
the  time  of  the  pouring  out  of  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God,  the 
prophet  saw  ''as  it  were  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire"  (the  fire 
of  wars),  and  those  who  had  obtained  the  victory  over  either  pagan 
or  papal  Eome  "  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,  having  the  harps  of  God," 
and  singing  the  song  of  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  and  the  song 
of  the  Lamb.  The  song  of  Moses  (Ex.  15  : 1-19),  reminds  us,  by 
this  sea  of  glass,  of  the  Red  Sea,  in  which  Pharaoh  and  his  army 
perished,  while  the  people  of  God  escaped  and  praised  the  Lord  for 
their  deliverance.  In  the  same  manner,  the  new  Pharaohs,  who 
have  held  in  bondage  the  people  of  the  Lord,  shall  perish  in  this 
sea  mingled  with  fire,  whilst  the  redeemed,  who  shall  have  gotten 
victory  over  paganism  and  popery,  shall  escape  and  praise  the  Lord 
for  their  deliverance. 

2.  "  And  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne, 
were  four  beasts  full  of  eyes  before  and  behind.  And  the  first  was 
like  a  lion,  and  the  second  beast  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  beast  had 
a  face  as  a  man,  and  the  fourth  beast  was  like  a  flying  eagle." 
The  Roman  Church  thinks,  without  any  foundation,  that  these  four 
beasts  are  the  emblems  of  the  four  evangelists.  It  is  supposed, 
from  the  office  which  they  hold  (5  :  S),  that  they  are  the  emblems 
of  the  true  ministers  of  the  gospel;  but  they  are  rather  the 
emblems  of  the  militant  Churcli ;  for  all  Christians,  without  dis- 
tinction, are  kings  and  priests  unto  God.  But  how  is  it  that  they 
are  represented  under  the  emblems  of  four  beasts?  It  is  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  four  irreat  monarchies,  from  Nebuchadnezzar 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  57 

to  our  days,  are  represented  and  characterized  by  four  beasts,  the 
first  a  lion,  the  second  a  bear,  the  third  a  leopard,  and  the  fourth, 
diverse  from  the  other,  had  no  name ;  but  had  an  eagle  on  its  stan- 
dards (Dan.  7  :  1-8).  The  first,  being  an  animal  strong  and 
generous,  is  preserved  to  be  the  emblem  of  the  courage  and  gene- 
rosity of  Christians.  But  the  others,  the  bear  and  the  leopard, 
being  wild  beasts,  could  not  be  in  any  wise  the  emblems  of  the 
people  of  God.  The  Spirit  of  God  has  substituted  in  their  place 
some  other  emblems  more  congenial  to  the  characters  of  Christians, 
as  the  ^'  calf,"  which  is  the  emblem  of  an  unwearied  zeal  and  pa- 
tience, and  '^man,''  as  the  emblem  of  reason,  understanding,  and 
wisdom ;  and  the  eagle,  as  that  of  the  elevation  of  their  feelings, 
thoughts,  and  affections,  raising  up  their  minds  to  heavenly  things, 
and  looking  at  the  most  adorable  mysteries,  as  the  eagle  looks  at 
the  beams  of  the  sun.  They  had  each  of  them  six  wings  about 
him ;  the  wings  are  the  emblems  of  their  disinterestedness,  protec- 
tion, grace,  and  charity.  The  prophet  Isaiah,  who  calls  the  same 
beasts  "seraphs,"  that  is,  burning,  to  indicate  the  nature  of  their 
zeal,  says  that  they  "  covered  their  faces  with  twain"  of  their 
wings,  for  unto  us  belongs  the  confusion  of  faces  before  the  Lord ; 
"and  with  twain  they  covered  their  feet;"  for  the  walks  and  deeds 
of  the  saints  are  not  without  spot  before  the  Lord ;  "  and  with  twain 
they  did  fly,"  showing  that  it  is  upon  the  wings  of  grace  and  mercy 
that  they  were  permitted  to  ascend  to  heaven  (Is.  6  :  2).  The 
prophet  Ezekiel  calls  them  "  cherubs,"  which  means  husbandmen, 
to  indicate  their  works  and  patience  during  the  captivity  of  the 
people  of  God,  in  Babylon.  These  beasts  or  seraphs,  are  not 
angels ;  for  celestial  spirits  do  not  borrow  strange  forms  in  heaven  ; 
and  vet  angels  do  not  call  themselves  "  the  redeemed  of  the  Lamb" 
(5  :'%=10).  Though  the  cherubs  are  spoken  of  as  having  only 
four  wings  (Ez.  1  and  10),  they  are  not  different  beings,  as  it  may 
be  seen  by  their  description  and  office.  They  do  not  represent  the 
militant  church  in  heaven,  but  in  a  hard  captivity ;  therefore  they 
do  not  cover  their  feet  with  wings.  The  Church  of  God,  in  Jeru- 
salem, had  provoked  the  wrath  of  God,  who  was  "over  them  as  it 
were  a  sapphire  stone,  as  the  appearance  of  the  likeness  of  a 
throne;"  and  so  the  Lord  filled  his  hand  with  coals  of  fire  (the 
emblem  of  his  wrath),  and  scattered  them  over  the  city;  and  "  then 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the  cherub,"  from  the  church 
(Ez.  10  :  1-4).  The  chariot  and  the  wheels,  in  the  first  and  tenth 
chapter,  are  nothing  else  than  an  allegory  of  the  providence  of  God, 
showing  the  connection  of  the  events  with  their  causes,  of  our  chas- 
tisements with  our  sins.  The  cherubs  are  said  to  have  each  the 
four  faces  of  man,  lion,  ox,  and  eagle ;  because  each  member  of  the 


58  C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

militant  Cliurcli,  as  member  of  the  same  body,  is  rendered  partaker 
of  all  the  gifts  granted  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  each  individually, 
and  of  which  the  lion,  man,  calf,  and  eagle  are  the  emblems.  From 
one,  they  receive  courage,  from  another  patience,  from  others,  wisdom 
and  discernment,  and  from  the  fourth,  clear  ideas  of  the  most  awful 
mysteries )  so  that  each  member,  sharing  thus  in  the  gifts  of  his 
brothers,  possesses  for  himself  alone,  all  that  which  belongs  to 
many )  and  the  dispensation  of  the  providence  of  God  toward  his 
Church  is  conformed  to  their  deeds  and  to  the  improvement  of  the 
gifts  imparted  to  them.  It  is  in  that  sense  that  it  is  said  of  the 
two  witnesses  (11  :  5-6)  that  they  have  power  to  shut  heaven  that 
it  rain  not  (prevent  the  effusion  of  grace),  and  to  change  water  into 
blood  (as  Moses,  to  punish  the  hardened  Pharaoh),  and  to  send 
curses  upon  earth.  Therefore,  we  infer  that  the  seraphs  and 
cherubs  are  the  same  as  the  beasts  spoken  of  in  this  chapter. 

"  They  were  full  of  eyes  within,"  to  show  that  they  possess  a 
clear  knowledge  of  their  sinful  nature  ]  watching  upon  themselves, 
and  knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord.  The  book  of  past  ages  is 
opened  before  them ;  the}^  know  that  God  overruled  the  events  re- 
corded in  history;  and  from  the  knowledge  of  the  past,  they  judge 
of  the  future.  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them ;  and  they 
walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools,  but  as  wise ;  for  they  are  full  of 
eyes  before  and  behind.  They  are  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  be- 
cause they  are  in  communion  with  God,  and  speak  in  his  name, 
preaching  to  sinners  repentance  and  remission  of  sins,  and  eternal 
death,  to  unrepentant  sinners ;  they  are  around  the  throne,  to  plead 
with  God  for  the  reconciliation  of  sinners,  and  to  offer  up  to  him 
their  prayers  and  requests,  and  praises  and  thanksgivings.  And 
these  four  beasts,  representing  the  militant  Church,  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  word  of  God,  of  his  judgments  and  mercies,  ''rest 
not  day  and  night,  saying.  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty, 
which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come." 

V.  9-11.  "And  when  those  beasts  give  glory  and  honor  and  thanks,  to 
him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  vidio  Hveth  forever  and  ever,  the  four-and-twenty 
elders  fall  down  before  him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  and  worship  him  that 
liveth  forever  and  ever,  and  cast  their  crowns  before  the  throne,  saying, 
'Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  glory  and  honor  and  power:  lor  thou 
hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were  created.'" 

There  is  joy  in  heaven,  says  our  Lord,  over  one  sinner  that  re- 
penteth  j  so,  when  the  four  beasts,  representing  the  living  who  are 
not  yet  glorified,  and  whose  condition  it  is  to  work,  to  suffer,  and 
fight  to  conquer  (1  Cor.  7  :  46),  render  glory  and  honor  and 
thanks  to  God,  saying :  "  Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty," 


C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  59 

the  twenty-four  elders,  representatives  of  the  triumphant  Church, 
manifest  their  joy  and  gratitude,  by  falling  down  upon  their  faces 
before  the  Almighty,  casting  their  crov/ns  before  the  throne,  to 
testify  that  the  glory  of  the  conversion  of  sinners  is  due  to  him,  as 
well  as  the  glory  and  happiness  enjoyed  by  his  redeemed  people  in 
heaven  ;  and  they  say :  "  Thou  art  worthy,  0  Lord,  to  receive  glory 
and  honor  and  power :  for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy 
pleasure  they  are  and  were  created/^ 


CHAPTER    V. 


V.  1-4.  "And  I  saw  in  the  right  hand  of  him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  a 
book  written  within  and  on  the  backside,  sealed  with  seven  seals.  And  I 
saw  a  strong  angel  proclaiming  with  a  loud  voice,  Who  is  worthy  to  open 
the  book,  and  to  loose  the  seals  thereof?  And  no  man  in  heaven,  nor  in 
earth,  neither  under  the  earth,  was  able  to  open  the  book,  neither  to  look 
thereon.  And  I  wept  much,  because  no  man  was  foimd  worthy  to  open  and 
to  read  the  book,  neither  to  look  thereon." 

We  are  permitted  to  witness,  in  this  chapter  as  in  the  preceding, 
how  things  are  performed  in  the  court  of  the  great  King  of  the 
universe, — how  God  the  Father  gives  all  power  and  authority  to 
the  Son  of  his  love, — atid  how  the  saints  and  angels  render  equal 
praises  and  glory  to  Grod  the  Son,  with  God  the  Father. 

God  the  Father,  sitting  on  his  throne,  holds,  in  his  right  hand, 
"  a  book  written  within  and  on  the  backside,'^  that  is,  written  on 
both  sides,  to  show  that  it  contains  a  great  many  events.  The  books, 
called  rollH  among  the  ancients,  Feeause' after  their  reading  they 
"Wfe  rolled  up  like  maps  or  music  books,  consisted  of  several  leaves 
united  together  and  usually  written  only  on  one  side.  This  book 
was  sealed  with  seven  seals,  to  show  that  it  contained  seven  great 
events  with  their  consequence,  or  rather  all  the  important  events, 
which  shall  come  to  pass  during  the  seven  ages  of  the  Church, — 
that  these  events  are  known  only  to  God — that  neither  men  nor 
angels  can  search  out  his  unsearchable  decrees,  and,  again,  that 
men  shall  not  look  at  the  hand  of  God,  to  understand  the  true 
cause  of  these  scourges  by  which  he  visits  their  sins  and  idolatry. 

A  strong  angel  invites  with  a  loud  voice,  those,  who  should  be 
able  to  open   the  book  and  to  loose  its  seals,  to  come  and   take  the 


60  C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

book,  to  open  it  and  loose  its  seals,  that  is,  to  understand  its  myste- 
rious symbols,  and  to-^^verrule  -  the  events  described  under  its  em- 
blematic language.  But  fliere  was  no  man,  either  among  the  saints 
in  heaven,  or  among  the  living  and  the  dead,  who  could  find  out 
its  mysteries,  or  x)verrule  the  events  which  were  contained  in  the 
book  of  God.  And  the  prophet  was  sorrowful  for  that,  and  wept 
much.  This  book — thanks  be  rendered  to  the  Lamb  slain  for  our 
sins — passed  from  the  hand  of  God  the  Father,  into  the  hand  of 
God  the  Son;  and  the  Son,  who  is  the  friend  of  men,  revealed  its 
contents  to  his  prophet.  This  book  I  we  possess  i^j;  we  can  read  it; 
and  know  what  are  the  secret  events,  which  the  eternal  God  had 
written  and  sealed  with  seven  seals. 

V.  5-7.  "  And  one  of  the  elders  saith  unto  me:  Weep  not:  behold,  the 
Lion  of  tlie  tribe  of  Juda,  the  Root  of  David,  hast  prevailed  to  open  the  book, 
and  to  loose  the  seven  seals  thereof.  And  1  beheld,  and,  lo,  in  the  midst  of 
the  throne  and  of  the  four  beasts,  and  in  the  midst  of  tlie  elders,  stood  a  Lamb 
as  it  had  been  slain,  having  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,  which  are  the  seven 
spirits  of  God  sent  forth  into  all  the  earth.  And  he  came  and  took  the, book 
out  of  the  right  hand  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  throne." 

Weep  not,  says  one  of  the  elders  to  the  prophet,  Jesus,  the  angel 
of  the  covenant  of  God  with  men,  to  whom  the  will  of  God  the 
Father  is  known  from  eternity,  is  worthy  to  open  the  book  and  to 
loose  its  seals.  He  has  already  prevailed  over  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness to  reconcile  men  with  God,  as  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Juda  (Gen. 
49  :  9-10),  and  having  been  faithful  in  all  things  unto  the  death 
of  the  cross,  he  has  received  a  name,  which  is  above  all  names ; 
he  is  then  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  to  ,ovei-rule  .the  events,  by 
which  the  ruin  of  his  enemies  ought  to  be  accomplished,  and  the 
final  triumph  of  his  Church  secured. 

The  prophet  looked  unto  the  throne,  and  he  saw  the  Saviour; 
not  under  the  form  of  a  terrible  lion — for  he  is  terrible  only  for  his 
enemies — but  under  the  form  of  a  "  Lamb  as  it  had  been  slain"  (see 
xii  chap,  of  Ex.).  Mark  the  place  which  he  occupies  in  heaven. 
He  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  as  Mediator  between  God 
and  the  representatives  of  his  militant  and  of  the  triumphant  Church, 
as  the  King  and  (Captain  of  their  salvation.  He  is  there  as  a 
*'Lamb  slain;"  for  he  is  the  High  Priest  of  his  people,  and  the 
victim  off"ercd  up  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  to  take 
away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and  reconcile  sinners  with  God.  He 
had  seven  horns  and  seven  eyes,  which  are  the  emblems  of  his 
almighty  power  andj>cienQe,  to  open  the  book  and  overrule  the 
events  written  in  it,  during  the  seven  ages  of  the  Chwrh".  He 
came,  then,  and  took  the  book  out  of  the  hand  of  God;  therefore, 


COMMENTARY.  61 

he  it  is  who  governs  this  world,  who  raises  up  or  abases  according 
to  his  will ;  for  all  power  was  given  unto  him  in  earth  and  in 
heaven,  and  he  must  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  his  enemies  under 
his  feet  (1  Cor.  15  :  24-28). 

V.  8-10.  '•  And  when  he  had  taken  the  book,  the  four  beasts  and  four  and 
twenty  elders  fell  down  before  the  Lamb,  having  every  one  of  them  harps, 
and  golden  vials  full  of  odors,  which  are  the  prayers  of  saints.  And  they 
sung  a  new  song,  saying,  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book,  and  to  open  the 
seals  thereof:  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood, 
out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation  ;  and  hast  made  us 
unto  our  God  kings  and  priests:  and  we  shall  reign  on  the  earth." 

In  reading  this  heavenly  song  we  are  reminded  of  these  words  of 
the  Apostle,  "  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth;"  and  we  are  constrained  involun- 
tarily to  bend  our  knees  before  this  Son  of  God,  who  took  upon  him 
our  humanity,  as  a  veil,  to  dwell  among  us,  to  teach  us  and  die  for 
us.  Nothing  can  equal  the  simplicity  and  beauty  of  this  heavenly 
song  unto  the  glory  of  the  Lamb,  which  the  representatives  of  the 
Church  sing  and  accompany  on  their  harps,  the  emblem  of  praises, 
as  the  vials  full  of  odors  are  the  emblem  of  the  prayers  of  saints. 

As  soon  as  he  had  taken  the  book,  the  four  beasts,  representa- 
tives of  the  militant  Church  (thus  represented  because  her  members 
have  not  yet  put  on  incorruption  and  immortality;  1  Cor.  15  :  40- 
46),  and  the  twenty-four  eiders,  the  representatives  of  the  trium- 
phant Church,  fell  down  before  the  Lamb,  to  worship  him ;  and 
they  sang  a  new  song,  unknown  to  the  Jewish  church,  which  sang 
the  glory  and  praises  of  Jehovah,  and  to  the  infidels  and  to  the 
heathens,  saying,  ''  Thou  art  worthy  to  take  the  book  and  to  open 
the  seals  thereof ;  for  thou  wast  slain,  and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God 
by  thy  blood,  and  hast  made  us  unto  our  God  kings  and  priests, 
and  we  shall  reign  over  the  earth.''  Dost  thou  understand  that, 
0  immortal  soul  I  The  subject  of  the  song  of  saints  and  angels,  in 
heaven,  is  the  redemption  of  mankind  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  !  Thou 
wert  sold,  as  a  slave,  to  Satan  and  sin,  and  Jesus  has  redeemed 
thee ;  hear,  at  what  a  price, — by  his  blood  I  He  endured  the  tor- 
ments of  death  and  hell  in  thy  stead ;  he  broke  the  chains  of  thy 
captivity ;  and  when  he  ascended  on  high  up  to  heaven,  he  led 
captivity  captive,  and  received  gifts  for  men,  yea,  for  the  rebellious 
also.  He  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  our  God,  and  we  shall 
reign  on  the  earth  (1  :  0).  Behold  to  what  dignity  he  has  raised 
thee  up  !  0,  hold  fast  the  profession  of  thy  faith  without  waver- 
ing !    Do  not  tread  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  do  not  count  the 


62  COMMENTARY. 

blood  of  the  covenant,  wherewith  thou  wert  sanctified,  an  unholy 
thing,  and  beware  to  do  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace.  Look 
unto  Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  with  love  and  gra- 
titude, and  unite  thy  songs  with  the  concert  of  saints  and  millions 
of  angels  who  sing  his  praises  and  glory. 

V.  11-14.  "And  I  beheld,  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  many  angels  round 
about  the  throne,  and  the  beasts,  and  the  elders :  and  the  number  of  them 
was  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thousands ;  saying 
with  a  loud  voice,  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing.  And 
every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth, 
and  such  as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  heard  I  saying,  Blessing, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  power, /;e  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  the  Lamb,  forever  and  ever.  And  the  four  beasts  said,  Amen. 
And  the  four  and  twenty  elders  fell  down  and  worshipped  him  that  liveth 
forever  and  ever." 

Millions  of  angels,  who  have  always  kept  their  former  purity  and 
obedience  before  God,  share  in  the  joy  of  the  saints,  and  applaud 
the  power  and  glory,  which  God  the  Father  gives  unto  the  Re- 
deemer, saying  that  he  is  worthy  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing ;  that  he 
is  worthy  to  receive  all  power  from  God  to  accomplish  the  triumph 
of  his  Church  over  her  enemies ;  and  every  creature  which  is  in 
heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and  such  as  are 
buried  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  repeat  their  song  as 
to  unite  in  concert  with  the  saints  and  angels  and  to  ratify  their  re- 
quest and  testify  their  consent,  and  to  ascribe  equal  power  and 
glory  to  the  Lamb  and  to  God  the  Father,  saying  "  Blessing,  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  forever  and  ever.'' 

Let  this  song  of  the  saints  in  heaven  and  of  -millions  of  angels, 
repeated  as  in  a  concert  by  every  creature  on  the  eartlr,~be compared 
with  the  sublime  vision  of  Jesus  in  the  first  chapter,  and  with  the 
titles  of  the  Almighty,  the  eternal  God,  which  he  attributes  to 
himself,  and  no  one  shall  dare  to  deny  that  the  crucified  Jesus  on 
Calvary,  is  truly  the  Son  of  God,  the  Redeemer  of  our  fallen  race. 
For  it  is  to  him  that  the  saints  and  angels  and  all  the  earth  unite 
to  ascribe  honor  and  glory,  even  before  the  throne  of  God,  the 
Father.  Had  not  the  divinity  of  Jesus  absorbed  his  humanity, 
which  was  but  as  a  veil  for  him,  this  wor&^trp  rendered  to  him  by 
the  saints  and  angels,  before  the  Almighty  God  of  heaven,  would 
have  been  an  act  of  the  most  daring  idolatry. 

And  now,  0  my  soul,  since  Jesus  is  thy  God  and  Redeemer, 
let  others  place  their  ambition  in  searching  out  the  most  secret 


COMMENTARY.  63 

mysteries  of  sciences,  hidden  to  tlie  eyes  of  the  common  people ; 
for  thee,  0  redeemed  soul,  be  satisfied  henceforth  to  glory  in  his 
cross,  and  to  study  and  search  with  the  poor  inhabitants  of  cottages, 
the  history  of  Calvary,  which  is  always  ancient  and  always  new ! 
Let  others  be  ambitious  of  pompous  titles,  if  they  wish,  a  crown  of 
thorns  is  enough  for  thee.  If  they  boast  of  their  riches  and  of  the 
short  enjoyment  of  happiness  which  they  aiford,  thou  hast  the  in- 
exhaustible riches  of  the  tomb  of  Christ.  Thy  riches  and  glory 
and  happiness  are  there.  Reign,  0  Son  of  God  !  the  Father  has 
consecrated  thee  with  his  own  hand  on  the  IMount  Sion ;  and  the 
inhabitants  of  heaven  and  earth  applauded  thy  power  and  glory. 
Reign  !  submit  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  under  thy  power;  let 
every  one  learn  of  thee  that  thy  yoke  is  easy,  and  thy  burden  light ; 
and  let  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  acknowledge  thy  power  and  unite 
their  voices  to  sing  thy  praises  and  glory,  in  the  concert  of  the 
saints  and  ano;els.     Amen. 


C  -■/ 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE     SEVEN     SEALS CIVIL    WARS     OF    THE     ROMAN     EMPIRE 

FAMINE PESTILENCE  —  PERSECUTIONS,     AND     FALL     OF     PA- 

Ga5v"ISM. 

^yE  have  now  to  explain  the  emblems,  under  which  the  events 
recorded  in  history,  are  described  in  the  book  which  the  Lamb 
took  out  of  the  right  hand  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  throne.  Many 
systems  have  been  invented  to  explain  this  book ;  and,  when  we 
read,  at  the  end  of  Henry's  exposition,  an  abridgment  of  the 
principal  systems,  invented  by  learned  men  to  explain  it,  we  are 
no  more  astonished  that  this  prophecy  has  always  been  looked 
upon  as  inexplicable.  True,  they  have  found  out  the  meaning  of 
many  emblems,  but  they  have  abandoned  themselves  to  their 
imagination, — they  have  confounded  the  seals  with  the  trumpets, 
— they  have  transferred  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  and  from 
the  end  to  the  beginning,  the  emblems  which  were  necessary  to 
complete  their  systems.  Mede  and  Newton  suppose  that  the  first 
four  seals  designate  four  epochs  of  the  history  of  the  last  times  of 
the  Roman  empire.  Keith  supposes  that  they  represent  respec- 
tively the  four  religious  systems,  Christianity,  Mahometanism, 
Popery,  and  Infidelity.     More  has  formed  an  apocalyptic  plan ;  he 


64  CO  M  M E  N  T  A R  Y. 

traced  straight  and  curved  lines,  designated  with  letters  and 
numbers,  from  one  to  six,  and  again  from  one  to  seven,  and  he 
pretends  to  arrive,  by  such  geometrical  problems,  to  the  solution  of 
the  difficulties  of  this  book.  A  plan  of  Denderah's  zodiac  has 
even  been  inserted  there,  doubtless,  to  find  in  its  hieroglyphic 
symbols  the  explanation  of  the  symbols  of  the  Apocalypse.  For 
us,  let  us  put  aside  this  great  display  of  science,  and  above  all,  our 
imagination.  Let  us  not  look  for  a  system;  for  there  is  none  :  it 
is  history  written  under  a  figured  language  (1  :  1,  19);  therefore, 
history  alone  ought  to  resolve  all  its  difficulties.  And  when,  in 
following  step  by  step  the  picture  of  history,  we  shall  find  that  the 
events  recorded  there,  give  us  the  solution  of  the  corresponding 
emblems,  as  the  original  is  found  out  by  its  image  and  picture, 
without  forcing  the  explanation,  without  overturning  the  order 
followed  by  the  prophet,  in  his  emblematic  language — and  when 
we  shall  see  that  there  is  as  much  order  and  precision  in  this  book 
as  in  the  best  and  most  exact  historians, — we  shall  be  permitted  to 
say  that  this  book  is  no  more  inexplicable. 


First  Seal 

V.  1,  2.  "And  I  saw  when  the  Lamb  opened  one  of  the  seals;  and  I 
heard,  as  it  were  the  noise  of  thunder,  one  of  the  four  beasts  saying,  Come 
and  see.  And  I  saw.  and,  behold,  a  white  horse;  and  he  that  sat  on  him 
had  a  bow ;  and  a  crown  was  given  unto  him :  and  he  went  forth  conquer- 
ing, and  to  conquer.-' 

The  bow,  which  is  in  the  hands  of  this  conqueror,  is  the  emblem 
of  wars,  of  scourges,  and  destruction ;  and  the  croAvn,  which  was 
given  unto  him,  is  the  emblem  of  royalty,  of  victory,  and  triumph. 
The  white  horse  may  indicate  the  justice  and  holiness  of  his  cause, 
and  the  rapidity  of  his  conquests.  But  who  is  this  conqueror? 
and  what  are  the  conquests  which  he  has  to  achieve?  The  read- 
ing of  verses  11-16  of  the  nineteenth  chapter,  where  wc  again  find 
the  same  conqueror  treading  under  foot  the  kings  of  the  earth  and 
the  false  prophet,  and  binding  Satan  with  chains,  shows  us  that  he 
is  called  "the  Word  of  God;  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of 
lords ;"  therefore,  we  may  infer  that  this  conqueror  is  Jesus  Christ, 
and  that  the  first  seal, — the  emblem  of  the  progress  and  triumph 
of  the  gospel, — includes  and  overrules  all  the  events  described 
under  the  other  seals,  under  the  trumpets  and  vials  of  the  wrath 
of  God,  to  the  entire  ruin  of  the  enemies  of  Christianity  and  the 
setting  up  of  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  (Dan.  2  :  44). 
For  he  goes  forth  conquering  and  to   conquer;   he  has  then  to 


C  0  il  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  65 

accomplish  many  victories  and  triumphs  to  make  his  enemies  his 
footstool  to  his  throne,  to  fill  the  places  with  dead  bodies,  and  to 
wound  the  head  (popery)  over  many  countries  (Ps.  110  :  6).  All 
shall  be  accomplished  at  the  pouring  out  of  the  seventh  vial,  in 
the  battle  of  Armageddon  (the  mountain  of  destruction),  called 
"the  vintage"  (14 1  18-20),  and  "the  great  day  of  the  Lord" 
(16  :  14-16),  described  in  the  nineteenth  chapter. 

The  enemies  of  the  word  of  God  should  have  understood,  from 
the  progress  of  the  gospel,  that  it  was  the  work  of  God,  that  by 
opposing  its  progress,  they  were  making  war  with  God  himself; 
but  all  that  was  sealed  to  their  eyes,  and  they  could  not  see, 
though  some  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  militant  Church, 
figured  by  the  beast,  cried  at  all  times,  saying :  "  Come  and  see." 
Come  and  see  how  twelve  unlearned  men,  poor  and  ignorant 
fishers,  have  spread  the  gospel  throughout  the  world, — how  they 
have  triumphed  over  the  oppositions  and  persecutions  both  of  the 
Jews  and  of  the  Gentiles, — how  this  powerful  word  has  changed 
the  face  of  the  earth,  removed  the  darkness  of  idolatry,  and  spread 
everywhere  the  principles  of  civilization  and  liberty.  Come  and 
see  how,  through  the  torrents  of  blood,  Christianity  ascended  to 
the  throne  of  the  Ceesars,  when  its  powerful  enemies  thought  to 
have  crushed  and  destroyed  it  forever, — how  it  triumphed  during 
the  Middle  Age,  over  the  crusades,  and  dungeons,  and  torments  of 
the  Inquisition,  and  ascended  up  to  the  throne  of  England,  to  go 
thence  throughout  the  world,  conquering  and  to  conquer.  Come 
and  see !  Do  you  not  know  that  it  is  the  hand  of  the  Almighty, 
which  performs  all  these  things?  Cease,  then,  to  oppose  his  work. 
But  all  that  was  sealed  before  their  eyes,  and  they  could  not  see. 
Even  at  this  day,  the  enemies  of  the  word  of  God  can  see  nothing, 
notwithstanding  so  many  vain  attempts  to  destroy  it :  they  suppose 
that  their  predecessors  have  failed  in  their  criminal  contest  with 
God,  only  for  want  of  skill  and  craftiness.  All  these  things  are 
yet  sealed  for  their  blind  and  stubborn  hearts;  but,  in  spite  of 
their  stubbornness,  the  victories  of  Jesus  go  on,  and  his  final 
triumph  is  at  hand. 


Second  Seal. 


V,  3,  4.  "  And  when  he  had  opened  the  second  seal,  I  heard  the  second 
beast  say,  Come  and  see.  And  there  went  out  another  horse  that  was  red  5 
and  power  was  given  to  him  that  sat  thereon  to  take  peace  from  the  earth, 
and  that  they  should  kill  one  another:  and  there  was  given  unto  him  a  great 
sword." 

The  emblem  of  this  seal  is  easily  understood.     The  red  horse, 

6* 


66  COMMENTARY. 

a  bloody  color,  represents  tlie  shedding  of  blood ;  therefore,  the 
horseman  has  the  power,  1.  To  banish  peace  from  the  earth;  2. 
To  cause  that  men  should  kill  one  another,  that  is,  to  excite  civil 
wars,  in  which  the  citizen  fights  against  a  citizen,  and  the  brother 
slaughters  his  brother.  The  great  sword,  given  to  him,  is  also  a 
clear  emblem  of  the  torrents  of  blood  shed  at  that  time;  1.  By  the 
revolt  of  the  Jews  in  98  to  138 ;  2.  By  the  civil  wars  of  the 
Roman  legions  from  138  to  the  reign  of  Constantine,  in  313 ;  all 
these  scourges,  which  desolated,  by  turns,  the  Roman  Empire,  are 
represented  under  the  emblem  of  horsemen,  to  show  with  what 
rapidity  they  came  to  execute  the  revenge  of  the  Lord.  One  of 
the  beasts,  a  representative  of  the  militant  Church,  says,  "Come 
and  see,"  to  invite  us  to  examine  attentively  all  these  scourges 
that  we  are  witnessing,  and  to  know  the  unseen  hand,  which 
inflicts  these  awful  chastisements. 

When  the  prophet  wrote  this  vision,  about  94,  two  persecutions 
against  Christians  had  already  been  decreed  :  one  under  Nero,  in 
65,  and  that  of  Domitian,  by  whom  the  prophet  had  been  banished 
into  the  island  of  Patmos,  in  93.  The  other  persecutions  suc- 
ceeded each  other  rapidly.  The  third  took  place  in  107,  under 
Trajan;  the  fourth,  in  163,  under  Antoninus;  the  fifth,  in  202, 
under  Severus;  the  sixth,  in  235,  under  Maximilian;  the  seventh, 
under  Decius,  in  250,  was  the  most  cruel  of  all :  Christians  were 
expelled  out  of  their  houses,  stripped  of  their  property  and  ex- 
posed to  the  most  savage  tortures.  The  eighth,  in  256,  under 
Yalerianus;  the  ninth,  in  273,  under  Aurelian;  and  the  tenth, 
under  Diocletian,  in  303,  and  continued  ten  years. 

It  may  be  seen  by  this  picture  of  pagan  persecutions  that  Chris- 
tians did  not  enjoy  much  rest  and  peace.  But  the  Grod,  who 
reigns  in  heaven,  and  looks  down  upon  his  servants,  did  not  give 
any  more  rest  and  peace  to  their  persecutors.  The  atrocious 
cruelties  of  their  emperors,  Nero,  Commodus,  Domitian,  Helio- 
gabalus,  Caracalla,  and  others,  were  already,  by  themselves,  a  visible 
revenge  of  God  to  punish  their  persecutors.  But  yet  there  is  not 
to  be  found,  in  the  third  century,  which  historians  call  "  military 
anarchy,"  an  epoch  in  which  we  do  not  read  of  some  of  the 
scourges,  which  desolated,  by  turns,  the  Roman  Empire,  and 
hastened  its  decay  and  ruin.  If  they  stripped  Christians  of 
their  property,  the  Lord  overthrew  the  tyrants  from  their  throne 
and  sent  famine  to  the  people ;  if  they  delighted  in  shedding  the 
blood  of  martyrs,  the  Lord  gave  them  blood  to  drink ;  if  they 
feasted  upon  their  torments,  God  sent  them  pestilence,  and  wild 
beasts,  and  tyrants  to  devour  them;  and,  from  98  to  138,  the 
Roman  history  gives  us  only  the  picture  of  insurrections,  bloody 
battles,  and  atrocious  massacres. 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  67 

The  Jews  had  refused  to  receive  the  true  Messiah  :  an  impostor, 
one  of  the  robbers,  who  plundered  Judea,  called  Casiba,  re- 
nowned for  his  daring,  proclaimed  himself  to  be  the  long-expected 
Messiah.  To  secure  his  success,  he  took  the  name  of  Barcocheva, 
alluding  to  the  star  foretold  by  Balaam,  and  promised  these  unfor- 
tunate Jews  to  render  them  their  ancient  glory  and  liberty.  God, 
in  his  judgments,  permitted  that  they  should  believe  in  an  impostor. 
Therefore,  at  his  voice,  they  revolted  in  all  the  countries  in  which 
they  had  been  scattered,  and  they  slaughtered  more  than  six  hun- 
dred thousand  men,  either  Greeks  or  Romans.  The  Emperor  Adrian 
raised  up  an  army  and  marched  against  Barcocheva.  The  impostor 
took  refuge  in  a  city  called  Either,  in  which  he  was  killed.  The 
city  was  besieged  and  taken,  and  there  was  an  awful  massacre. 
The  Jews  themselves  confess  that  about  six  hundred  thousand  of 
their  people  were  destroyed  for  the  defence  of  this  flilse  Messiah, 
and  some  historians  go  so  far  as  to  set  the  number  to  twelve  hun- 
dred thousand.  We  have  then,  in  this  event,  the  accomplishment 
of  the  first  part  of  the  seal :  '^  And  power  was  given  to  him  that  sat 
on  the  red  horse,  to  take  peace  from  the  earth;"  here  are  now  the 
civil  wars,  the  military  anarchy  from  138  to  the  reign  of  Gonstantine. 

The  Roman  legions  revolted,  and  refused  to  submit  themselves 
to  their  lawful  emperors.  They  chose  for  emperors  the  general  or 
the  daring  soldier,  who  promised  the  most  to  their  ambition.  Hence 
the  difterent  interests  of  the  legions,  caused  them  to  take  up  arms 
the  one  against  the  other,  and  they  slaughtered  each  other,  upon 
the  battle  field,  to  sustain  the  respective  chief,  which  they  had 
chosen.  In  about  seventy  years,  there  were  more  than  twenty 
emperors,  who  reigned  in  Rome  with  tyranny,  and  exercised  the 
most  atrocious  cruelties  over  the  subjects  of  the  empire ;  and  at 
the  same  time  there  were,  in  the  provinces,  more  than  thirty 
usurpers,  proclaimed  by  their  armies,  who  caused  their  followers  to 
be  slaughtered,  to  sustain  their  respective  usurpations.  The  horse- 
man who  sat  on  the  red  horse  had  a  great  sword  :  he  banished 
peace  from  the  earth,  and  caused  men  to  kill  one  another. 


Third  Seal 

V.  5,  6.  "  And  when  he  had  opened  the  third  seal,  I  heard  the  tliird  beast 
say,  Come  and  see.  And  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  black  horse;  and  he  that  sat  on 
him  had  a  pair  of  balances  in  his  hand.  And  I  heard  a  voice  in  the  midst 
of  the  four  beasts  say,  A  measnre  of  wheat  for  a  penny,  and  three  measures 
of  barley  for  a  peimy ;  and  see  thou  hurt  not  the  oil  and  the  wine."' 

At  the  opening  of  this  seal  there  appeared  a  black  horse,  which 


68  COMMENTARY. 

is  a  fair  emblem  of  the  distress  of  the  people  in  a  time  of  calamity. 
The  pair  of  balances  and  the  measures  of  wheat  and  barley  for  a 
penny,  indicate  clearly  what  shall  be  the  nature  of  that  calamity, 
to  wit,  the  famine,  showing  that  they  shall  be  obliged  to  eat  their 
bread  sparingly  (Lev.  20  :  26j  Ez.  4:16),  and  by  hard  labor. 
For  the  measure,  according  to  some  historians,  was  the  quantity 
given  to  a  slave  for  his  daily  food ;  therefore,  it  is  intended  to  show 
that  they  shall  be  obliged  to  acquire  it  by  hard  labor.  The  penny, 
worth,  then,  sixteen  cents  of  our  money,  was  the  daily  wages  of  a 
workman.  Nevertheless,  it  is  evident  that  God  does  not  intend  to 
destroy  them  by  the  scourge  of  famine ;  for  he  forbids  to  hurt  the 
oil  and  the  wine,  which  afford  the  delights  of  the  rich,  who  can 
mock  at  the  famine  with  their  treasures.  But  their  treasures  can- 
not save  them  from  the  pestilence,  which  devours  the  rich  and  the 
poor,  at  the  opening  of  the  following  seal. 

When  David  sinned  against  Grod,  by  forcing  Joab  to  number  the 
people  of  Israel,  it  was  said  to  him  :  "  Shall  seven  years  of  famine 
come  unto  thee  in  thy  land  ?  or,  wilt  thou  flee  three  months  before  . 
thine  enemies,  while  they  pursue  thee  ?  or  that  there  be  three  days' 
pestilence  in  thy  land  ?''  So  David  was  permitted  to  choose  one  of 
these  scourges  of  the  Lord.  But  the  Roman  people  have  not  to 
choose  :  all  the  scourges  of  the  wrath  of  God  fall  one  after  the 
other,  and  all  at  the  same  time,  upon  the  persecutors  of  his  ser- 
vants. Though  famine  and  pestilence  are,  in  some  measure,  the 
consequence  of  civil  wars, — for  husbandry  is  abandoned  during  the 
wars,  which  desolate  the  country,  and  unwholesome  food  eaten 
during  the  famine,  produces  pestilence  —  they  are  here  special 
scourges  of  God.  The  famine  laegan  to  afliict  the  lioman  Empire, 
under  the  reign  of  Antoninus,  who  succeeded  to  Adrian  in  138; 
and  the  famine  is  placed  after  the  civil  wars,  only  because  the 
slaughter  of  the  Jews  took  place  before  this  scourge.  The  Emperor 
Antoninus,  surnamed  ^^  the  pious,''  is  said  to  have  bought  victuals 
with  his  money,  to  relieve  the  distress  of  the  people.  The  famine 
broke  out  again,  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Marcus  Aurelian,  and 
continued  its  ravages  to  the  end  of  the  second  century,  in  such  a 
manner,  that  Sicily  could  no  more  afford  wheat  enough  to  supply 
their  wants,  and  that  the  emperors  were  obliged  to  have  some  from 
Egypt.  Therefore,  history  unites  with  the  emblems  of  this  seal 
to  point  out  this  scourge  of  God. 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  69 


Fo7irih  Seal. 


V.  7,  8.  "  And  when  he  had  opened  the  fourth  seal,  I  heard  the  voice  of 
the  fourth  beast  say,  Come  and  see.  And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  pale  horse; 
and  his  name  that  sat  on  him  was  Death,  and  hell  followed  with  him.  And 
power  was  given  unto  them  over  the  fourlh  part  of  the  earth,  to  kill  with 
sword,  and  with  hunger,  and  with  death,  and  with  the  beasts  of  the  earth." 

At  the  opening  of  this  seal,  all  the  scourges,  death,  famine  and 
pestilence,  the  sword  and  wild  beasts,  meet  together,  and  are 
followed  by  hell,  the  emblem  of  confusion  and  torments.  No  pic- 
ture could  give  us  an  idea  more  frightful  and  just  of  the  state  of 
the  Roman  empire  in  those  days  of  heavenly  revenge.  Desolation  is 
general.  Pestilence,  figured  by  the  "pale  horse"  and  its  horseman, 
Death,  ravaged  the  empire  during  twelve  consecutive  years,  from 
251  to  263,  under  the  reign  of  Gallus  and  Yolusianus,  his  son  ;  and, 
when  it  was  supposed  that  the  scourge  had  abated,  a  pestilential 
fever  broke  out  in  Ethiopia,  and  hence  it  went  on  to  the  north, 
desolating  all  the  eastern  provinces  of  the  empire. 

Besides  this,  swarms  of  barbarians,  from  every  country,  appeared 
at  its  frontiers.  The  Persians  and  Scythians,  invaded  its  eastern 
provinces.  Carus,  proclaimed  emperor  by  the  soldiers,  who  had 
killed  their  emperor,  Probus,  gained  over  the  Sarmatians  a  victory, 
which  cost  him  sixteen  thousand  men  killed,  and  twenty  thousand 
prisoners.  He  was  killed  in  his  tent  by  lightning,  and  his  son, 
Numerian,  was  slaughtered  by  his  father-in-law,  who  attempted  to 
reign  after  him.  The  father-in-law  himself  was  killed  by  Diocle- 
tian, who  usurped  the  government  of  the  em23ire.  Under  his  reign 
all  the  hordes  of  northern  savages,  Scythians,  Goths,  Sarmatians, 
Alains,  and  the  Gatts,  invaded  the  empire  at  the  same  time.  For 
that  reason,  Diocletian  associated  in  the  empire  his  friend,  the 
General  Herculius  Maximian  ;  and  soon  after,  he  conferred  also 
the  title  of  emperor,  but  subordinate  to  his  power,  on  Constantius 
Chlore  and  Galerius  Maximian.  The  empire  v>^'\s  thus  divided 
into  four  parts,  and  so  we  have  the  explanation  of  these  words  of 
the  prophecy :  "  And  power  was  given  unto  them  over  the  fourth 
part  of  the  earth,  to  kill  with  the  sword,"  that  is,  over  Illyria, 
Thracia,  and  Asia  Minor,  which  formed  the  fourth  part  of  the 
empire,  under  the  government  of  Galerius  3Iaximian.  Constantius 
Chlore  had  the  Gauls,  Spain,  and  Britain  ;  Severus  had  Africa  and 
Italy,  and  Valerius  Maximinus,  Egypt  and  Syria.  Maxentius,  son 
of  Hercules,  in  306,  and  Licinius  in  307,  received  also  the  title  of 

For  "  the  beasts  of  the  earth,"  by  which  the  ferocious  tyrants  of 
the  empire  might  be  also  designated,  we  can  judge  of  this  scourge 


70  COMMENTARY. 

from  the  description  of  the  triumphal  procession  of  Probus,  for  his 
Yictories  in  the  Gauls  and  Grermany.  It  is  recorded  by  historians, 
that  besides  a  multitude  of  deers,  ostriches,  and  boars,  there  were 
three  hundred  bears,  two  hundred  lions,  and  as  many  leopards.  All 
these  scourges  should  have  opened  the  eyes  of  the  pagan  Romans, 
and  shown  them  the  true  cause  of  these  calamities,  which  suc- 
ceeded each  other  and  increased  every  year.  But,  though  they 
had  shed  by  torrents  the  blood  of  Christians,  upon  the  altars  of 
their  gods,  they  supposed  that  these  scourges  were  inflicted  upon 
them,  because  Christians  did  not  resort  any  more  to  their  temples, 
to  offer  the  blood  of  victims  upon  their  altars.  Therefore,  they 
accused  them  of  having  provoked  the  wrath  of  their  gods,  and  when 
the  Emperor  Maximian  appeared  at  the  theatre,  they  asked  with 
cries  for  the  destruction  of  Christians  (see  the  Church  of  Smyrna, 
2  :  8-11) ;  and  then,  the  Diocletian  Persecution  was  decreed,  as  we 
find  it  under  the  following  seal. 


Fifth  Seal. 


V.  9-11.  "  And  when  he  had  opened  tlie  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the  altar 
the  souls  of  them  that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the  testimony 
which  they  held  :  and  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying.  How  long,  O 
Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge  and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth  ?  And  white  robes  were  given  unto  every  one  of  them  ; 
and  it  v/as  said  unto  them,  that  they  should  rest  yet  for  a  little  season,  until 
their  fellow-servants  also  and  their  brethren,  that  should  be  killed  as  they 
were,  should  be  fulfilled." 

The  meaning  of  this  seal  is  clear ;  there  is  no  emblem  :  they  are 
the  martyrs  of  the  ten  pagan  persecutions,  who  cry  for  deliverance 
from  their  enemies.  But  it  w^as  said  unto  them  to  wait  a  little 
longer,  until  their  fellow-servants  should  be  killed  as  they  were ; 
for  the  Lord  is  slow  to  anger,  and  there  is  an  appointed  time  to  the 
wicked  for  repentance.  It  is  not  as  malefactors  that  these  martyrs 
were  put  to  death  :  it  is  for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the  testimony, 
which  they  render  to  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God.  Whoever  enjoys  his 
good  sense  and  reason  could  scarcely  understand  how  there  have 
been  such  ferocious  tigers  among  men,  as  to  shed  the  blood  of  more 
than  fifty  millions  of  unfortunates,  who  had  no  other  crime  imputed 
to  them,  than  the  religious  principles  which  they  held,  if  we  were 
not  witnessing,  in  our  days,  the  same  spirit  of  persecution.  But, 
let  persecutors  remember  that  the  martyr  of  Jesus,  though  cut  off 
from  this  world,  is  not  for  that  destroyed,  helpless,  and  forgotten  : 
he  is  living  in  heaven ;  white  robes,  washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus, 


COMxMENTARY.  fj 

are  given  unto  him ;  and  there  is  a  time  appointed  of  God  for  the 
revenge  of  his  blood  which,  as  that  of  Abel,  crieth  unto  God  from 
the  ground.  Though  revenge  may  be  delayed  for  a  season,  it  will 
come  soon  or  late;  for  the  quiver  of  the  Lord  is  full  of  arrows  to 
pierce  the  enemies  of  his  name. 

1  ^.hf  ^/;f  tyr^a^Vot,  evidently,  those  of  papal  persecutions  :  we 
shall  find  them  in  their  places  with  the  chastisement  of  their  op- 
pressors. Those  spoken  of  here  are  the  martyrs  of  the  ten  pagan  per- 
secutions. They  are  under  a  seal,  because  their  persecutors  did  not 
imdei^tand  that  the  cries  of  the  martyrs  were  heard  from  God 
that  God  avenged  their  blood  with  his  scourges,  and  that  he  would 
shn^l^''''  oppressors  m  pieces  like  potter's  vessels,  when  they 
should  have  exerted  all  their  power  to  destroy  the  work  of  the  Lord 

undei  the  altar  upon  which  they  had  been  slain.  In  their  impa- 
tience they  asked  for  the  revenge  of  their  blood  ^^  on  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,-  who  exercised  their  tyrannic  power  over  his 
own  heritage.  At  last,  the  Diocletian  Persecution,  called  'the  era 
of  martyrs,-  was  ordered  in  303  (see  3:  8-11);  and  when  after  ten 
years  ot  massacres,  the  persecutors  had  shown  thai  th  '  wrl  of 
man  is  impotent  against  the  Lord,  the  Lord  arose  and  he  disced 

^"^^^^.'"^''-'^^^^  -  ^^  ''-'  '^  -^-^^^  -^^^l-i of 


Sixth  Seal 


The  picture,  which  is  given  under  this  seal,  does  not  represent 
either  the  end  of  the  world,  as  I  hare  many  tiiies  heard  it  aXd 
to  that  event  by  popish  priests,  or  the  dcstmction  of  Jerusalem  as 
.s  supposed  by  Henry,  for  it  had  been  accomplished!  and  oud 
be  no  more  the  subject  of  prophecy;  but  it  represents  evidentlv^he 
victories  of  Constantino  over  Maxentius  and  Licinius,  and  the  de! 


■.♦♦ 


72  C  O  M  IM  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

struction  of  paganism  and  its  supporters.  It  is  the  revenge  asked  for 
by  the  martyrs  who  were  slain  lor  the  word  of  God,  as  we  have 
seen  in  the  preceding  verses. 

Before  passing  to  the  exphination  of  this  seal,  let  us  suppose  that 
we  have  to  predict  the  fall  of  a  false  religion — the  massacre  of  its 
priests,  pontiffs,  and  followers,  and  the  overthrow  of  the  empire  by 
which  it  is  sustained.  That  we  have  to  predict  it  in  such  a  manner 
that  those,  who  are  to  be  the  victims  of  its  ruin,  could  not  under- 
stand their  destiny  in  the  reading  of  our  prediction,  we  could  not 
use  the  ordinary  language;  otherwise  the  accomplishment  of  our 
prophecy  would  be  counteracted  by  those  who  would  see  their  doom 
foretold  there.  Therefore,  we  should  be  obliged  to  borrow,  from 
nature,  images  and  expressions,  equivalent  to  those  of  the  common 
language,  and  clear  enough  to  be  understood  after  the  event  de- 
scribed in  our  figurative  language :  such  has  been  the  case  with  the 
prophet ;  and  thence  the  obscurity,  which  this  prophecy  presents 
to  our  understanding. 

A  change  in  the  celestial  bodies  represents  very  well  the  change 
of  the  political  and  moral  world.  An  earthquake  gives  us  a  fair 
image  of  the  convulsion  of  an  empire.  Heaven  may  repi'esent  the 
empire,  of  which  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  represent  the  king,  the 
religion,  and  the  chief  officers,  either  captains,  priests,  augurs,  and 
pontiffs.  The  moon,  which  shines  only  with  a  borrowed  light,  is  a  fair 
emblem  of  a  false  and  idolatrous  religion  ;  and  the  stars,  of  its  false 
gods  worshipped  under  their  names,  as  Venus,  Saturn,  &c.  According 
to  this  figured  language,  or  allegory,  "  the  sun  black  as  sackcloth 
of  hair,"  would  indicate  the  distress  and  ruin  of  the  emperor — "the 
moon  became  as  blood,"  would  give  us  the  image  of  the  destruction 
of  the  priests,  augurs,  pontiffs,  followers,  and  supporters  of  this  ido- 
latrous religion — "  the  stars  of  heaven  falling  unto  the  earth,"  would 
indicate  the  violent  fall  of  the  chiefs  of  this  empire,  and  of  the  false 
gods  of  the  pagan  religion,  who  are  gods  no  more.  In  continuing 
the  allegory,  in  this  manner,  "  the  heaven  departed  as  a  scroll  when 
it  is  rolled  together,"  would  represent  a  state  of  things  which  is 
past,  and  put  aside,  as  a  book  which  wc  close  and  put  aside,  when 
we  have  done  reading  it;  '^  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved 
out  of  their  places,"  would  also  signify  that  the  king  or  emperor  has 
been  dethroned,  and  the  subaltern  authorities,  as  governors,  pontiffs, 
and  priests  have  been  turned  out  of  their  offices,  to  which  others 
have  been  appointed.  Now,  if  to  that  figured  language  we  should  add 
in  common  expressions  :  "  and  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great 
men,  and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty 
men,  and  every  bondman,  and  every  freeman,  hid  themselves  in  the 
dens  and  the  rocks  of  the  mountains;  and  said  to  the  niountains 


C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  73 

and  rocks,  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  that  sitteth 
on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,"  we  should  under- 
stand easily  the  meaning  of  this  figured  language,  and  we  would  see 
the  distress  of  a  routed  army,  fleeing  before  its  victorious  enemy, 
into  the  mountains,  and  calling,  the  mountains  and  the  rocks  to  fall 
on  them,  and  to  hide  them  from  the  revenge  of  their  conqueror, 
and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb,  whose  servants  they  had  killed 
without  mercy.  Now,  such  is  the  use  made  of  these  emblems  by 
the  prophet;  and  if  we  examine  that  the  event  thus  described 
follows  immediately  the  scourges  related  under  ibhe  preceding 
seals,  we  shall  be  convinced  that  it  is  spoken  here  of  the  victories 
of  Constantino  over  the  supporters  of  paganism,  in  the  mountains 
of  the  Alps,  and  in  Thracia,  over  Lucinius. 

Every  one  is  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  triumph  of 
Constantino  over  his  enemies.  When  he  was  advancing  towards 
Rome,  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  ninety  thousand  foot-soldiers  and 
eight  thousand  horsemen,  he  inscribed  upon  his  flags,  according 
to  a  vision,  which  had  appeared  to  him,  at  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
the  image  of  the  cross,  with  these  words  :  "  touto  nika"  (conquer 
by  this  sign).  On  the  other  side,  Maxentius  advanced  from  the 
city  with  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  foot-soldiers 
and  eighteen  thousand  horsemen.  The  engagement  was  for  some 
time  fierce  and  bloody.  The  cavalry  of  Maxentius  being  routed, 
victory  was  declared  upon  the  side  of  his  opponent.  Maxentius 
was  drowned  in  his  flight,  by  the  breaking  down  of  the  bridge,  as 
he  attempted  to  cross  the  Tiber.  The  Emperor  Maximian  marched 
also  against  Licinius,  and  his  army  suffered  a  total  defeat :  the  most 
of  his  soldiers  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  those  who  escaped  submitted 
to  the  conqueror.  Licinius  marched  then  against  Constantino,  to 
contend  with  him  for  the  government  of  the  empire.  His  army 
was  strengthened  by  all  the  supporters  of  paganism;  and  previous 
to  the  battle,  they  invoked  their  gods.  Constantino  with  his  army 
begged  the  assistance  of  the  God  of  Christians :  success  was  on  his 
side.  Licinius  was  entirely  defeated;  and  it  was  in  vain  that  the 
fugitives  sought  a  refuge  in  the  mountains  of  Thracia;  they  were 
pursued  in  their  retreat ;  and  Licinius  surrendered  himself  up  to 
the  victor.  Constantino  declared  Christianity  the  religion  of  the 
empire,  and  paganism,  mortally  wounded  in  the  mountains  in  the 
north  of  Italy  and  in  Thracia,  became  weaker  and  weaker,  and  ex- 
pired under  the  reign  of  Theodosius  the  Great.  We  may  add  that 
Diocletian  died,  one  year  after,  in  the  torments  of  a  disease  attri- 
buted to  poison  or  madness,  after  having  seen  his  statues  over- 
thrown and  Christianity  flourishing.  Maximian  was  obliged  to 
hang  himself,    after  having   attempted    to    kill    Constantiiie.    and 


74  COMMENTARY. 

Galerius  expired  in  the  torments  of  a  sickness  which  baffled  all 
the  skill  of  his  physician. 

Now,  it  is  easily  understood  that  these  great  events,  which  fol- 
lowed immediately  the  Diocletian  Persecution,  and  caused  the  ruin 
of  paganism  and  the  overthrow  of  the  pagan  empire,  by  which  it 
was  supported,  are  really  designated  by  the  revolution,  figured  by 
this  great  earthquake.  That  the  distress  and  doom  of  the  Roman 
pagan  emperors  are  clearly  represented  under  the  emblem,  "the 
sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair;"  that  the  destruction  of 
the  priests,  augurs,  pontiffs,  and  all  the  followers  and  supporters  of 
paganism,  is  fairly  represented  under  the  image,  ''  and  the  moon 
became  as  blood;"  that  the  fall  of  pagan  gods,  worshipped  under 
the  names  of  stars,  and  turned  out  of  the  temples,  is  also  repre- 
sented by  "the  stars  of  heaven  fell  unto  the  earth,"  being  gods  no 
more ;  and  the  violence  of  their  fall,  when  they  hoped  yet  for  a 
long  existence,  is  figured  with  energy  by  the  fig-tree,  which  "casteth 
her  untimely  figs,  when  she  is  shaken  of  a  mighty  wind."  No 
image  could  represent  better  the  end  of  the  Roman  pagan  empire 
than  that  of  a  book  or  scroll  rolled  together,  and  put  aside,  after 
we  have  done  reading  it. 

The  mountains  are  figures  consecrated  by  writers  to  designate 
the  rich  and  powerful  of  this  world — kings  and  emperors.  The 
islands  are  types  of  independent  terrestrial  powers,  but  having  re- 
lation with  other  powers,  as  an  island  has  with  the  mainland.  The 
kingdoms  of  the  earth,  being  like  an  agitated  sea  by  their  convul- 
sions, the  religious  powers,  which  are  immovable  in  the  midst  of 
revolutions,  are  very  well  figured  by  an  island  unshaken  in  the 
midst  of  tempestuous  seas.  Therefore,  the  civil  and  religious 
powers  passing  from  the  heathen  to  Christian  emperors,  officers,  and 
ministers,  could  not  be  better  represented  than  by  this  emblematic 
image,  "  and  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved  out  of  their 
places."  Mark  well  this  language  !  These  powers,  royalty  and 
priesthood,  were  not  destroyed,  but  moved  out  (changed  out)  of 
their  places  ;  they  passed  from  paganism  to  Christianity.  If  such 
is,  as  it  is  really,  the  meaning  of  this  figured  language,  the  same 
emblems  "and  every  island  fled  away,  and  the  mountains  were  not 
found,"  which  we  find  in  the  twentieth  verse  of  the  sixteenth 
chapter,  at  the  pouring  out  of  the  seventh  vial  of  the  wrath  of 
God,  called  "  the  vintage — the  great  day  of  the  Lord" — the  mean- 
ing here  is  that  "  the  ecclesiastic  powers,  priests,  monks,  bishops, 
and  Pope,  shall  flee  away,  and  that  the  kings  and  tyrants,  their  sup- 
porters, shall  be  overthrown  from  their  thrones,"  in  order  that  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  should  be  the  Lord's. 

The  last  verses,   "and  the  kings  of  the   earth   and   the  great 


COxMIMENTARY.  75 

men/'  &c.,  are  clear  and  without  emblems.  They  are  added  to 
the  emblematic  language,  to  render  it  more  intelligible.  They 
come  to  sustain  the  explanation,  which  we  have  given  here,  point- 
ing out,  as  it  were  with  the  finger,  by  these  words,  ''  and  they  said 
to  the  mountains  and  rocks.  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face 
of  him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the 
Lamb,"  to  the  place  where  the  events  took  place ;  to  the  con- 
queror Constantine,  by  whom  they  were  destroyed ;  and  to  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  wrath  they  had  provoked  for  their  own  destruction, 
by  the  shedding  of  the  blood  of  his  servants. 

I  am  confident  that  there  is  no  other  explanation  to  be  given  of 
these  first  six  seals.  They  give  us  the  true  picture  of  the  scourges 
which  desolated  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  from  98  to  the  over- 
throw of  paganism,  and  of  the  emperors  by  whom  it  was  supported. 
The  emblems,  explained  according  to  their  natural  meaning,  agree 
with  history.  Therefore,  put  in  your  mind  that  such  is  the  true 
explanation  of  this  chapter.  Do  not  employ  any  more  the  emblems 
of  the  sixth  seal  for  the  last  judgment,  except  by  comparison  of 
distress  and  agony.  Do  not  mix  any  more  the  papal  with  the 
pagan  persecutions,  for  the  prophet  has  described  them  separately ; 
and  as  we  have  now  a  new  state  of  things,  which  will  soon  degene- 
rate into  a  great  apostacy — popery,  which  shall  come  out  of  the 
bottomless  pit  of  the  Roman  Empire — the  Lord  provides,  during 
the  peace  enjoyed  under  Constantine,  for  the  preservation  of  true 
Christianity,  in  those  woful  days,  by  the  sealing  of  a  number  of 
servants,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    SEALING    OF    THE    TWO    WITNESSES THEIR    MARTYRDOM 

AND    GLORY. 

This  chapter,  which  is  like  an  episode  or  a  digression  from  the 
exposition  of  the  events  contained  in  the  book  sealed  with  seven 
seals,  presents  us  a  picture  of  the  Church  in  the  future  ages,  from 
425  to  1688,  when  Christianity  became  the  religion  of  England. 
The  conqueror,  who,  at  the  opening  of  the  first  seal,  went  forth 
conquering  and  to  conquer,  has  indeed  overcome  paganism  and  its 
supporters,  and  the  Roman  Empire  enjoyed  a  peace  for  thirty  years 
under  the  reitrn  of  Constantine  and  some  of  his  successors.     But 


76  COMMENTARY. 

Satan  is  not  yet  vanquished.  lie  can  deceive  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  and  cause  them  to  apostatize  ;  and  again,  he  can  destroy 
the  Roman  Empire  by  the  instrumentality  of  his  idolatrous  subjects 
in  every  part  of  the  world,  and  iu^pose  upon  the  vanquished,  the 
religion  of  the  conquerors  (12  :  11-17,  which  synchronize  with  this 
chapter). 

The  Lord,  the  angel  of  the  covenant,  to  whom  the  designs  of 
Satan  are  known,  provides  here,  during  the  peace,  which  he  has 
the  power  to  command,  a  means  of  escape  for  his  Church  during 
the  woful  ages,  which  are  at  hand.  He  seals  a  number  of  servants 
of  God,  called  the  two  witnesses,  to  preserve  the  word  of  Clod  in 
all  its  purity,  during  the  Middle  Age,  and  to  hand  it  to  the  follow- 
ing generations.  The  last  part  of  the  chapter  gives  us  a  picture 
of  the  destruction  and  holiness  of  these  servants  of  God,  put  to 
death,  when  they  had  accomplished  their  testimony,  at  the  Revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  as  we  shall  see  in  the 
eleventh  chapter. 

V.  1-3.  "And  after  these  things  I  saw  four  angels  standing  on  tlie  four 
corners  of  the  earth,  holding  the  four  winds  of  the  earth,  that  the  wind  should 
not  blow  on  the  earth,  nor  on  the  sea,  nor  on  any  tree.  And  I  saw  another 
angel  ascending  front  the  east,  having  the  seal  of  the  living  God:  and  he 
cried  with  a  loud  voice  to  the  four  angels,  to  whom  it  was  given  to  hurt  the 
earth  and  the  sea,  saying,  Hurt  not  the  earth,  neither  the  sea,  nor  the  trees, 
till  we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our  God  in  their  foreheads." 

In  the  prophetic  style,  fJie  icinds  represent  the  armies,  because 
they  are  like  a  whirlwind,  which  shakes  and  overturns  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth,  (^Ts.  21  :  1;  Dan.  7  :  2).  The  armies,  which  execute 
the  judgments  of  God,  are  called  also  "  auf/eh"  (9  :  14)  ;  therefore, 
the  four  angels,  standing  on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  to  whom 
it  was  given  to  hurt  the  earth  and  the  sea,  are  the  four  chiefs  of 
the  barbarian  nations,  Alaric,  Genseric,  Attila,  and  Odoacer,  hold- 
ing their  armies  (the  winds),  on  the  frontiers  of  the  empire,  until 
the  angel  of  the  covenant  should  have  sealed  the  servants  of  God. 
To  seal  the  servants  of  God  means  to  preach  to  them  the  gospel ; 
and  whoever  receives  the  word  of  God  in  a  pure  heart,  is  sealed  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  for  eternal  life  (2  Cor.  1  :  21-22;  Eph.  1  :  13-14). 
Peace  was  necessary  for  the  preacliing  of  the  gospel,  in  the 
Western  countries,  to  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses,  as  it  had 
been  first  preached  in  the  East,  at  Jerusalem,  whence  Jesus,  as  the 
sun  of  righteousness,  ascended  to  carry  life  and  immortality  to 
light  to  the  Western  nations. 

"  The  angels  holding  the  four  winds  of  the  earth"  present  to  us 
a  proper  emblem  of  the  peace  enjoyed  about  thirty  years,  through- 
out the  Roman  Empire.     The  barbarians,  who,  under  the  reign  of 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y,  77 

Diocletian,  threatened  at  every  moment  to  invade  the  Empire, 
seemed  to  have  been  enchained.  The  Goths  alone  dared  to  attack 
the  frontiers  towards  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Constantino ;  but  they 
were  pressed  so  hard,  that  about  one  hundred  thousand  perished 
by  hunger  and  cold.  Nevertheless,  the  four  angels,  commanding 
the  armies  of  the  barbarians,  have  received  the  power  "  to  hurt  the 
earth  and  the  sea."  The  earth,  miry  clay  (Dan.  2  :  33—43)  is  the 
emblem  of  an  earthly,  apostate  religion,  which  shall  be  broken  as  a 
potter's  vessel ;  the  sea  is  also  the  emblem  of  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  the  convulsions  of  which  are  like  the  storms  of  the  sea 
(Dan.  7:3);  and  the  trees  represent  the  inhabitants  of  these  king- 
doms, who  have  received  the  seal  of  God  (9:4;  Ps.  1  :  3 ;  Jer. 
11  :  19 ;  17  :  7-8) ;  mark,  that  it  is  not  said  that  the  four  angels 
have  received  the  power  to  hurt  them,  but  only  the  earth  and  the 
sea ;  and  we  shall  see  them,  in  the  following  chapter,  accomplishing, 
by  turn,  their  mission. 

V.  4-8.  "  And  I  heard  tlie  number  of  them  vi'hich  were  sealed :  and  there 
were  sealed  an  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand  of  all  the  tribes  of  the 
children  of  Israel.  Of  the  tribe  of  Juda  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Reuben  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Gad  were 
sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Aser  tvere  sealed  twelve  thousand. 
Of  the  tribe  of  Nephthalim  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of 
Manasses  icere  sealed  tu'elve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon  were  sealed 
twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Levi  were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of 
the  tribe  of  Issachar  ivere  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Zabulon 
were  sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  were  sealed  twelve 
thousand.     Of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  v:ere  sealed  twelve  thousand." 

It  maybe  inquired,  1.  For  what  reason  the  prophet  does  not  pre- 
serve the  order  in  which  the  tribes  of  Israel  were  classed  in  the 
ancient  Testament?  2.  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  numbers 
twelve  and  one  hundred  and  fortij-foxir  thousand?  3.  Who  are 
these  servants  of  God,  who  are  sealed  in  their  foreheads  ? 

1.  The  names  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  have  been  preserved  by  the 
prophet,  with  some  modification,  to  show  that  it  is  the  same  work 
of  salvation,  continued  by  the  Lord,  the  prince  of  the  two  cove- 
nants. There  is  no  distinction  made  between  the  bond  or  free 
women,  because  in  Christ  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Gentile,  neither 
bond  nor  free,  but  we  are  all  one  in  him.  The  tribes  of  Dan  and 
Ephraim  are  not  spoken  of,  because  they  fell  into  idolatry ;  and 
God  shows  us  in  that  manner  that  the  popish  idol-worshippers 
shall  be  cut  off  from  among  his  people.  The  tribe  of  Levi  is 
reckoned  here  among  the  others,  though  they  had  no  terrestrial 
heritage,  because  under  the  covenant  of  grace,  we  are  all  priests 
unto  God  and  the  Father,  and  we  are  all  partakers  of  the  spiritual 

7* 


/8  COMMENTARY. 

heritage,  preserved  in  lieaven  for  the  saints.  The  tribes  of  the 
New  Jerusalem  have  no  other  chief,  no  other  patriarchs,  than  the 
twelve  apostles  of  the  Lord. 

2.  The  numbers. — The  number  twelve  is  evidently  taken  by  the 
prophet  for  the  doctrines  of  the  apostles.  The  New  Jerusalem 
(21  :  12-21)  having  twelve  gates,  twelve  foundations,  and  in  them 
the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles,  is  nothing  else  than  an  allegory, 
representing  Christianity,  or  the  true  Church  of  Grod,  built  upon 
the  foundations  laid  down  by  the  twelve  apostles.  The  expressions 
^'the  city  lieth  foursquare"  (Eph.  3:18)  'Uwelve  thousand  fur- 
longs," and  ''the  wall  an  hundred  and  forty-four  cubits"  are  all 
emblems  of  the  doctrines  of  the  apostles,  the  word  furlongs  being 
added  to  preserve  the  allegory ;  and  the  number  thousand  (Is. 
60  :  22)  indicates  that  the  true  believers  shall  be  increased  as  from 
one  to  thousand.  The  square  of  twelve,  making  one  hundred  and 
forty-four,  indicates  also  that  the  doctrines  of  the  apostles  shall  be 
transmitted,  in  their  primitive  purity,  to  the  future  generations,  by 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  as  by  a  multiplication  of  the  doctrines 
by  themselves.  Therefore,  the  number  "an  hundred  and  forty- 
four  thousand,"  spoken  of  in  our  chapter,  being  the  square  of 
twelve,  indicates  clearly, — not  that  such  a  number  of  servants  of 
the  Lord  have  been  sealed, — but  that  an  indefinite  number  of 
servants  have  been  sealed,  to  preserve  the  teachings  of  the  apostles 
in  all  theii*  purity, — that  these  servants  will  hand  them  down  to 
others,  to  a  larger  number  of  persons,  in  the  same  manner  as  a, 
number  multiplied  by  itself  preserves  always  the  same  root,  and 
continues  always  the  same,  except  that  there  is  an  increase  of 
servants,  indicated  by  the  number  thousand  added  to  the  square 
of  twelve.  The  multiplication  of  a  number  by  itself,  as  well  aS 
the  lighting  of  a  candle  by  another,  gives  us  a  beautiful  image  of 
a  doctrine  transmitted  to  others  and  multiplied,  as  it  were,  by 
itself,  by  the  preaching  of  these  doctrines,  which  continue  always 
the  same,  as  the  root  of  a  number  multiplied  by  itself  (see  the 
explanation  of  the  wall  of  the  city,  21  :  9-15). 

3.  Who  are  these  servants  of  God,  sealed  in  their  foreheads  ? 
Are  they  servants  chosen  among  the  tribes  of  Israel?  The 
apostle  Paul  answers,  that  in  Christ  there  is  neither  Jew,  nor 
Gentile,  that  we  are  all  one  in  him,  having  been  graffed  in  the 
olive  tree  among  them.  Therefore,  it  is  spoken  here  of  the 
redeemed  of  the  new  covenant,  whether  they  be  Jews  or  Greeks, 
bond  or  free.  At  the  time  of  the  great  lleformation,  and  of  its 
progress,  described  in  the  fourteenth  chapter,  we  find  again  the 
same  number,  ''an  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand"  servants 
of  God,  standing  with  the  Lamb  on  the  Mount  Sion,  to  erive  the 


COMMENTARY.  79 

hand  of  fellowship  to  the  Reformers  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Is 
it  not,  then,  evident  that  these  servants  are  the  Albigenses,  the 
Waldenses,  the  Lollards,  and  Moravians, — composing  the  first  wit- 
ness, as  primitive  churches, — and  the  Protestants,  composing  the 
second  witness,  as  Reformed  churches,  chosen  from  among  the 
apostate  papists  ?  This  assertion  shall  be  demonstrated  hereafter 
(11  :  7-13,  and  especially  in  the  description  of  the  wall  of  the 
holy  Jerusalem ;  these  two  churches  being  the  two  towers  of  the 
wall  of  the  Gentiles  broken  down,  or  the  two  breasts  spoken  of  in 
the  Song,  8  :  8-10). 

V.  9-12.  "After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  muhitude,  which  no  man 
could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues,  stood, 
before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms 
in  their  hands;  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying.  Salvation  to  our  God. 
which  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  And  all  the  angels 
stood  round  about  the  throne,  and  about  the  ehlers  and  the  four  beasts,  and 
fell  before  the  throne  on  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying.  Amen : 
Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power, 
and  might,  be  unto  our  God  forever  and  ever.     Amen." 

This  great  multitude  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people, 
and  tongues,  standing  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes  and  palms  in  their  hands,  are  not,  as  it  is 
supposed,  those  who  were  faithful  unto  death  in  the  preceding 
persecutions;  for  the  dead  are  no  more  the  subjects  of  prophecy, 
and  we  have  seen  them  in  the  sixth  chapter.  The  same  umltitude 
of  nations,  kindreds,  people,  and  tongues  is  always  spoken  of,  in 
the  course  of  the  prophecy,  to  indicate  the  barbarians,  who,  after 
having  destroyed  the  Roman  Empire,  submitted  to  the  sway  of 
popedom  (10  :  11 ;  11  :  9 ;  13  :  7;  17  :  1,  15);  therefore,  they  are 
the  Protestants,  who  were  put  to  death  in  the  papal  persecutions, 
as  we  may  infer  from  their  song  and  from  the  answer  of  the  elder : 
^^  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation." 

As  a  new  state  of  things  has  been  established  by  Constantine, 
and  as  Christians  supposed  that  the  final  triumph  of  the  Church 
had  been  accomplished,  the  prophet  shows  us  in  the  picture  of  this 
chapter,  what  shall  be  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  the  ages  to 
come.  The  white  robes,  with  which  these  martyrs  arc  clothed, 
are  the  emblems  of  purity  and  holiness ;  and  the  palms  in  their 
hands,  are  the  symbols  of  their  victories  over  Satan  and  popery. 
In  their  song,  they  confess  their  Protestant  principles.  Their 
enemies  forced  them  to  profess  that  salvation  comes  by  good  works, 
fastings,  penances,  confessions,  pilgrimages,  and  by  the  mediation 
of  saints,  relics,  and  the  power  of  popes;  and  these  servants  of 
God  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying  in  dungeons,  in  torments,  and 


80  COMMENTARY. 

in  the  siglit  of  their  executioners  :  "  Salvation  to  our  Grod,  which 
sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb/'  Salvation  comes 
from  God,  as  the  author  of  all  good,  and  the  source  of  the  living 
waters.  It  comes  from  the  Lamb,  as  the  channel  through  which 
the  blessings  flow,  having  covered  our  sins  with  the  blood  of  the 
cross.  The  angels,  who  surround  the  throne,  and  the  elders,  and 
the  four  beasts  (the  representatives  of  the  militant  and  triumphant 
Church  4  :  4-11)  applauding  the  faithfulness  of  these  martyrs, 
fall  before  the  throne  on  their  faces  and  woi-ship  God,  saying,  as 
to  approve  their  firmness  and  confession  of  faith :  '^  Amen  :  Bless- 
ing, and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and 
power,  and  might,  be  unto  our  God  forever  and  ever :  Amen." 
So,  all  our  blessings,  graces,  joy,  peace,  and  eternal  hopes  come 
from  God  and  the  Lamb,  slain  for  our  sins ;  and  to  God  alone  we 
must  ascribe  praises,  and  glory,  and  thanksgiving,  forever  and  ever. 

V.  13-17.  "And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me,  What  are 
these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  1  and  whence  came  they  ?  And  I 
said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  knowest.  And  he  said  to  me,  These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore,  are  they  before  the  throne  of 
God,  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple:  and  he  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne  shall  dwell  among  them  ;  they  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst 
any  more ;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto 
living  fountains  of  waters  ;  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes." 

''  What  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white  robes  V  The  answer 
of  the  elder,  ^'  These  are  they  which  came  out  of  great  tribulation,^' 
spoken  of  already  as  ''  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall  come 
upon  all  the  world"  (3  :  10),  in  the  letter  to  the  Church  of  Phila- 
delphia, which  is  the  emblem  of  the  Reformation,  and  alluded  to 
in  the  fourteenth  chapter,  verse  12,  13,  where  its  progress  is  de- 
scribed, shows  evidently  that  they  arc  the  martyrs  of  the  papal  per- 
secutions, called  "  the  two  witnesses,''  from  the  destruction  of  the 
Albigenses  in  1194  and  12(30, — from  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  in 
1572, — and  the  massacre  of  Protestants  in  Ireland  in  1(341,  and  es- 
pecially to  the  dragoonades  of  Louis  XIV.,  at  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1(385, — persecution  which  is  properly  called 
"  the  great  day  of  tribulation,"  in  which  the  two  witnesses  were 
put  to  death  (11  :  7-13),  and  after  which,  in  1688,  the  spirit  of 
life  from  God  entered  into  them,  and  they  stood  upon  their  feet, 
and  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud,  that  is,  to  the  throne  of 
England,  when  there  was  a  great  earthquake — a  great  revolution, 
the  Prince  of  Orange  having  proclaimed  Protestantism  the  religion 
of  his  kimrdom. 


COMMENTARY.  81 

The  last  verses,  <^they  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any 
more;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them  nor  any  heat,"  indicate 
what  were  their  sufterings.  Their  persecutors  refused  them  water 
and  fire,  and  deprived  them  of  their  property:  the  kings,  repre- 
sented by  the  sun,  and  their  persecutions,  by  the  heat,  shall  have 
no  more  the  power  to  persecute  them,  and  to  put  them  to  death ; 
for  the  Lamb  will  dwell  with  them,  and  give  them  a  powerful  king- 
dom, to  protect  them  :  he  will  feed  them,  and  lead  them  unto  living 
fountains  of  waters,  under  the  protection  of  the  Christian  laws  of 
England.  In  the  prosperity  which  they  shall  enjoy,  they  will  for- 
get their  fiery  trials ;  for  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes.  It  is  evident  that  these  promises  are  made  to  the  living 
Protestants,  as  a  reward  for  their  faithfulness,  as  composing  the 
same  body  with  the  martyrs,  who  "  washed  their  robes,  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.''  Mark  what  expressions, 
"  they  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb."  Heaven  only  could  teach  such  a  language  !  Such 
an  idea,  as  to  wash  and  make  white  his  robe  in  the  blood,  could 
never  enter  into  the  mind  of  a  man.  But,  with  what -energy  it 
represents  the  cleansing  of  our  sins  by  the  atonement  of  Jesus 
Christ !  These  living  Protestants,  having  come  out,  escaped  from 
the  great  tribulation,  are  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him 
day  and  night  in  his  temple,  and  they  "shall  go  no  more  out" 
(3  :  12)  by  persecutions ;  for  the  Lord  that  sitteth  on  the  throne 
shall  dwell  among  them,  after  their  final  triumph  (21  :  1-9). 

At  what  time  were  the  servants  of  the  Lord  sealed  ?  It  is  evi- 
dent, that  it  was  during  the  peace  enjoyed  from  the  overthrow  of 
paganism,  under  Constantino  and  some  of  his  successors,  to  the 
time  of  the  incursions  of  the  barbarians,  described  in  the  following 
chapter.  If  the  witnesses  finished  their  testimony,  which  is  of 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  years,  at  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  in  February,  1685,  it  follows  that  they  began  to  accomplish 
their  testimony  in  425.  And,  it  was,  in  fact,  towards  the  end  of 
the  fourth  and  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  that  the  mira- 
cles of  saints  and  relics  were  spoken  of — that  prayers  were  ad- 
dressed to  them,  and  heresies  were,  introduced  into  the  Church. 
The  bones  of  St.  Stephen,  Nicodemus,  and  Gamaliel,  were  found 
in  420,  and  were  said  to  perform  miracles ;  the  mass  was  intro- 
duced the  same  year,  though  it  was  only  in  1090,  that  it  arrived 
at  its  perfection.  Prayers  were  addressed  to  the  Virgin  Mary  in 
425;  and  the  title  of  "Mother  of  God"  was  applied  to  her  in  429. 
The  heresy  of  Pelagius  was  promulged  in  412.  The  feasts  of 
Advent,  and  Palm-Sunday,  and  the  superstition  of  Ash-Wednesday, 
were  commenced  about  the  year  430.    Soon  after  came  the  graven 


JiZ  COMMENTARY. 

images,  and  the  Iconoclasts  were  persecuted  as  heretics.  There- 
fore, we  may  say,  that  the  witnesses  began  to  accomplish  their  testi- 
mony in  425,  and  finished  it  in  1685,  at  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes.  When  Protestantism  became  the  religion  of 
England,  Christians  were  no  more  witnesses  in  the  wilderness,  but 
an  established  church,  a  Christian  kingdom. 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

THE    FALL   OF   THE    ROMAN    EMPIRE. 

At  the  opening  of  the  first  seals,  we  have  seen  in  the  sixth 
chapter,  the  scourges  which  caused  the  decline  of  the  Roman  Em- 
pire, and  the  destruction  of  paganism.  The  four  winds,  the 
emblems  of  the  four  armies,  held  on  its  frontiers,  until  the  servants 
of  God  should  be  sealed  (7  : 1-3),  are  going  to  be  let  loose,  to 
destroy  this  empire,  which  has  been  weighed  in  the  balances,  and 
found  wanting.  The  historian  of  the  popes,  Machiavel,  reckons 
ten  different  barbarian  nations,  which  came,  by  turns,  to  invade 
the  empire,  under  the  command  of  four  principal  chiefs,  namely  : 
Alaric,  Genseric,  Attila,  and  Odoacer.  According  to  Machiavel, 
these  barbarian  nations  were,  1,  the  Huns;  2,  Ostrogoths;  3, 
Visigoths ;  4,  Franks ;  5,  Vandals ;  6,  Suevi ;  7,  Burgundians  ; 
8,  Heruli;  9,  Saxons;  10,  Lombards.  (There  arc  also  the  Alains, 
the  Ostrogoths  and  Visigoths,  being  the  same  people.) 

At  the  death  of  Theodosius,  in  395,  the  storm,  so  long  threaten- 
ing in  the  north,  burst  out  on  the  borders  of  the  Upper  Danube. 
The  savage  warriors  of  Scythia  came  out  of  their  forests ;  and,  this 
river  being  covered  with  the  ice  of  a  sharp  winter,  they  were 
enabled  to  cross  this  barrier,  by  which  they  had  been  so  long  de- 
tained. Hence  the  Goths,  under  Alaric,  fell  upon  Thracia,  Mace- 
donia, and  Grecia;  and  following  the  coasts  of  the  Adriatic  Sea, 
they  ravaged  Pannonia  and  Noricum;  then,  having  crossed  the 
Alps,  they  overran,  like  a  torrent,  the  fertile  valleys  of  Italy,  and 
besieged  Rome,  whilst  the  feeble  Honorius  remained  shut  up  in 
Ravenna.  Rome  was  soon  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  Its  walls 
were  filled  with  a  multitude  of  persons,  who  fled  before  this  fero- 
cious enemy.  Hunger  and  pestilence  disputed  for  their  victims. 
Their  haughty  con((ueror,  to  raise  the  siege  and  retire,  asked 
nothing  less  than  all  their  riches  and  slaves.     And  when  they  in- 


COMMENTARY.  83 

quired  what  he  would  leave  to  the  conquered,  lie  replied :  "  Life." 
The  Romans  gave  him  their  gold  and  silver;  and,  at  this  price, 
Alaric  consented  to  raise  the  siege  and  to  go  away.  But,  soon  after 
finding  that  he  might  become  master  of  Home,  whenever  he  thought 
proper,  he  returned  to  Rome,  besieged  it,  took  it  in  410,  and  gave 
the  soldiers  liberty  to  pillage. 

In  the  mean  time,  other  barbarians  overran  the  western  provinces 
in  407,  and  built  up  there  new  kingdoms.  The  G-auls  and  Spain 
were  divided  among  the  powerful  monarchies  of  the  Franks  and 
Visigoths,  and  the  dependent  kingdoms  of  the  Suevi  and  Burgun- 
dians.  Africa  became  the  prey  of  the  Vandals  and  of  the  savage 
Moors.  In  455,  the  Emperor  Valentinian  III.,  having  been  killed 
by  Maximus,  the  Empress  Eudoxia,  his  wife,  to  avenge  the  death 
of  her  husband,  invited  Genseric,  King  of  the  Vandals,  to  come 
and  take  possession  of  Rome,  promising  him  an  easy  victory. 
Genseric  crossed  the  sea  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  thousand 
men.  Vandals  or  Moors,  captured  Sicily,  burnt  the  Roman  fleet  in 
the  port  of  Ostia,  invaded  Italy  and  plundered  Rome,  which  he 
abandoned  fourteen  days  to  pillage,  and  to  the  unbridled  license  of 
the  soldiers.  They  respected  neither  sex  nor  age,  neither  religion 
nor  public  monuments  ;  and  then  they  returned  to  Africa,  with 
the  spoils  of  this  capital  of  the  world. 

At  the  same  time,  Attila,  called  "  the  scourge  of  God,''  came 
out  of  the  Caucasian  mountains,  at  the  head  of  the  Huns.  He 
passed  by  Constantinople,  from  which  he  exacted  a  heavy  tribute, 
and  fell  like  lightning  upon  Piedmont  and  Lombardy,  and  was 
threatening  Rome  with  a  general  destruction,  when  a  sudden  death 
arrested  at  once  the  course  of  his  triumphs  and  devastations.  On 
the  other  side,  the  Saxons  contended,  in  476,  with  the  native  in- 
habitants of  Great  Britain,  for  the  possession  of  that  country;  and 
the  Allemans,  so  called  because  they  were  a  people  composed  of 
men  of  every  nation,  seized  also  upon  Germany. 

Notwithstanding  these  awful  calamities  and  this  dismembering  of 
the  provinces,  there  was  still  iii  Rome  the  shadow  of  an  empire. 
The  tottering  colossus  was  still  standing,  and  waited,  to  fall,  a  last 
blow,  which  was  given,  in  476,  by  Odoacer,  general  of  the  Heruli. 
He  took,  then,  the  title  of  King  of  all  Italy,  under  the  reign  of 
Momillus,  surnamed  by  derision  "  Augustulus,"  who  was  obliged, 
in  480,  to  abandon  to  Odoacer  the  government  of  the  empire. 
Some  other  changes  having  yet  taken  place,  the  ancient  form  of 
the  empire  was  utterly  destroyed,  in  566 ;  and  Rome,  the  mistress 
of  the  world,  was  reduced  to  be  only  a  poor  dukedom,  tributary  to 
the  exarchs  of  Ravenna.  Let  us  examine,  now,  the  emblems  and 
images  by  which  these  events  are  represented  in  the  prophecy. 


84  COMMENTARY. 


Seventh  Seal. 

V.  1-5.  "  And  when  he  had  opened  the  seventh  seal,  there  was  silence 
in  heaven  about  the  space  of  half  an  hour.  And  I  saw  the  seven  angels 
which  stood  before  God ;  and  to  them  were  given  seven  trumpets.  And 
another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  bearing  a  golden  censer;  and  there 
was  given  unto  him  much  incense,  that  he  should  oifer  it  with  the  prayers  of 
all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the  throne.  And  the 
smoke  of  the  incense,  which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended 
up  before  God  out  of  the  angel's  hand.  And  the  angel  took  the  censer,  and 
filled  it  with  fire  of  the  altar,  and  cast  it  into  the  earth :  and  there  were 
voices,  and  thunderings  and  lightnings,  and  an  earthquake." 

These  five  verses  are  like  the  preface  to  the  events  proclaimed 
at  the  sounding  of  the  trumpets.  The  silence  in  heaven  (in  the 
empire)  ^^of  about  the  space  of  half  an  hour,"  may  represent  the 
peace  which  was  enjoyed  under  the  reign  of  Constantine,  when  the 
four  winds  were  held,  until  the  servants  of  God  should  be  sealed 
(7  :  1-3).  But  the  emblem  '^of  half  an  hour"  is  too  short  to  repre- 
sent this  peace,  which  continued  about  thirty  years.  Therefore  it 
is  evident  that  the  prophet  alludes  to  the  peace  enjoyed  by  the 
Church  from  the  time  of  the  victories  of  Constantine  over  Maxen- 
tius  and  Licinius  to  the  time  when  the  heresy  of  Arius  broke  out, 
in  319,  and  disturbed  the  Church  and  the  empire.  The  devil  be- 
ing expelled  from  the  pagan  temples  invaded  Christian  temples. 
Constantine,  by  proclaiming  Christianity  the  religion  of  the  empire, 
contributed  a  great  deal  for  the  temporal  prosperity  of  the  Church, 
which  was  made  free  from  the  yoke  of  the  heathens;  but  his  favors 
were  pernicious  to  the  purity  of  the  doctrines  and  to  the  discipline 
of  the  Church.  As  soon  as  the  Christians  were  delivered  from  the 
fury  of  tlic  heathens,  they  began  to  quarrel  and  persecute  each 
other.  Ammian  Marcellian,  a  witness  of  their  discords,  in  the 
fourth  century,  says  that  the  fury  of  wild  beasts  was  less  to  be 
feared  than  the  hatred  of  Christians  against  one  another;  whilst, 
in  the  second  century,  Tertullian  says,  that  the  heathens,  at  seeing 
the  mutual  love  which  reigned  among  them,  exclaimed :  ''  Behold, 
how  they  love  one  another  I" 

The  fixvors  with  which  the  Christians  were  henceforth  surrounded, 
introduced  into  the  Church  worldly  and  ambitious  men,  who 
did  not  care  much  about  either  the  sanctity  of  morals  or  the  purity 
of  the  evangelical  doctrines.  As  they  did  not  know  the  importance 
of  the  teachings  of  the  word  of  God,  they  submitted  them  to  the 
tribunal  of  their  reason,  and  borrowed,  from  paganism  and  Judaism, 
everything  they  thought  proper  to  render  the  worship  more  pom- 
pous, and  to  form  a  religion  more  suitable  to  their  ideas.  The 
word  of  God  being  once  put  aside,  the  innovations  went  on  swiftly. 


COMMENTARY.  85 

Molten  images  succeeded  to  the  pictures  representing  tlie  agonies 
of  the  martyrs.  From  the  honors  rendered  to  the  martyrs,  they 
passed  rapidly  to  the  prayers  which  were  addressed  to  them,  and 
to  the  temples  which  were  consecrated  to  their  worship.  The 
worship  of  saints  took  the  place  of  that  of  the  demigods;  and  for 
the  word  of  God  were  substituted  the  legends  of  the  saints.  Hence- 
forth salvation  was  no  more  the  price  of  the  blood  of  the  Saviour,  but 
of  fastings,  mortifications,  austerities,  and  penances.  Perfection  does 
not  any  more  consist  in  walking  faithfully  before  God,  but  in  a 
useless  life,  shut  up  in  cloisters,  and  in  the  vows  of  a  celibacy,  which 
became  the  source  of  all  immoralities  and  the  curse  of  the  world. 
God  was  no  more  the  master  of  this  universe ;  they  banished  him 
from  its  government  to  place  it  under  the  protection  of  the  saints 
and  saintesses.  And,  as  among  the  pagans,  the  fields,  public 
edifices,  rivers  and  fountains,  cities  and  kingdoms,  were  under  the 
protection  of  the  pagan  gods.  Pan,  Neptune,  Mars,  Venus,  Jupi- 
ter, &c.,  so  they  changed  the  names,  and  placed  them  under  the 
patronage  of  the  saints  Peter,  Paul,  Lawrence,  Denys,  Martin,  &c. 
Again,  as  the  Romans  had  a  Jupiter  Amnion,  Jupiter  Olympian, 
Jupiter  Feretrian,  Jupiter  Capitolinus,  Jupiter  Hospitable,  Jupiter 
Inventor,  Jupiter  Sponsor,  Jupiter  Imperor,  Jupiter  Sower,  Jupiter 
Victor,  Jupiter  Avenger,  &c.,  they  invented  a  Mary,  Our  Lady, 
Our  Lady  of  Lauretta,  Our  Lady  of  INIontferrat,  Our  Lady  of  Liessa, 
Our  Lady  of  Thorns,  Our  Lady  of  Good  Succour,  Our  Lady  of  Good 
News,  Our  Lady  of  Recoverance,  Our  Lady  of  Healing,  Our  Lady  of 
Virtues,  Our  Lady  of  Fevers,  Our  Lady  of  Hermits,  and  even  Our 
Lady  of  the  Snows  !  All  these  innovations  began  to  appear  under 
the  reign  of  Constantine,  and  were  propagated,  in  the  following 
centuries,  in  such  a  manner  that  a  Pope  confessed  that  in  reading 
the  theologians — their  doctrines  being  grounded  on  traditions — he 
no  more  understood  anything  in  the  gospel,  and  that  in  reading 
t^ie  gospel,  he  could  understand  nothing  in  the  writings  of  the 
theologians.     Let  us,  now,  examine  our  texts. 

After  this  silence  of  half  an  hour,  seven  trumpets  were  given  to 
the  seven  angels  which  stood  before  God,  and  which  were  commis- 
sioned to  execute  the  judgments  of  God,  on  account  of  this  idola- 
trous worship  introduced  into  his  Church.  And,  as  the  trumpet 
is  made  use  of  to  give  the  signal  of  the  combat,  we  are  informed 
thereby  that  it  is  related  of  bloody  wars  and  of  far-resounding 
events,  as  the  sound  of  the  trumpet.  At  the  same  time,  the  pro- 
phet saw  another  angel,  which  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a  golden 
censer;  and  there  was  given  unto  him  much  incense,  that  he  should 
olFer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints  (Christians)  upon  the  golden 
altar  which  was  before  the  throne.     The  smoke  of  the  incense, 

8 


80  COMMENTARY. 

wliicli  came  witli  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before 
God.  But  the  angel  took  the  censer,  and  filled  it  with  fire  of  the 
altar,  and  cast  it  into  the  earth ;  and  there  were  voices,  and  thun- 
derings,  and  lightnings,  and  an  earthquake. 

This  angel,  Henry  says,  is  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  High  Priest  of 
his  Churcii,  giving  efficacy  to  the  prayers  of  Christians.  But,  if 
this  angel  be  Jesus  Christ  himself,  how  is  it  that  he  filled  his  censer 
with  the  fire  of  the  altar,  which  is  the  emblem  of  the  wrath  of  Grod  ? 
There  is  evidently  in  this  fact  of  the  angel  an  insult  offered  to  God ; 
for  in  consequence  of  this  outrage,  there  were  voices,  and  thunder- 
ings,  and  lightnings,  which  are  the  forerunners  of  the  storm,  and 
an  earthquake,  which  is  the  emblem  of  political  convulsions.  There- 
fore this  angel  is  not  Jesus  Christ ;  but  this  angel  is  the  very  angel 
of  the  Church  of  Pergamos  (2  :  12-17),  and  his  acts  here  are  an 
image  of  the  conduct  of  the  Church,  exalted  by  the  favors  of  Con- 
stantino. 

When  the  Christians  were  made  free  from  the  yoke  of  the 
heathens,  they  thought  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the  Millen- 
nium, had  come.  The  temples  were  filled  with  faithful  disciples 
of  Jesus,  offering  up  the  incense  of  their  prayers  and  thanksgivings 
to  the  God  who  had  delivered  them.  Then,  the  temples  resounded 
with  the  songs  of  joy  and  cheerfulness,  and  the  angel  of  the 
Church — the  emblem  of  bishops  and  pastors — standing,  that  is, 
ministering  at  the  altar,  could  off"er  much  incense  with  the,  prayers 
of  the  saints,  upon  the  golden  altar  (Jesus  Christ  who  is  our  golden 
altar),  before  the  throne  of  God.  As  long  as  the  pastors  were 
faithful,  the  smoke  of  the  incense,  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints, 
ascended  before  God.  But,  like  the  sons  of  Aaron,  Nadab,  and 
Abihu,  they  took  their  censer,  they  put  fire  therein,  and  offered  a 
strange  fire,  by  sinning  against  the  altar  itself,  Jesus  Christ;  whence 
it  is  said  that  "  he  filled  his  censer  with  fire  of  the  altar,''  with 
the  wrath  of  their  outraged  Mediator  and  Redeemer,  and  cast  this 
fire,  the  emblem  of  wrath,  into  the  earth,  that  is,  in  the  midst  of 
this  earthly  religion,  which  had  raised  up  again  the  altars  of  the 
demigods  by  praying  to  the  saints.  Therefore,  the  wrath  of  God, 
provoked  by  this  idolatrous  worship,  which  detracted  from  the  glory 
of  our  Mediator,  slain  as  the  Lamb  of  God  for  our  sins,  manifested 
itself  from  the  outraged  altar,  the  emblem  of  the  atonement  of 
Christ,  our  altar — and  the  ruin  of  the  Koman  Empire  was  decreed 
in  consequence  of  the  unfaithfulness  of  his  Church  (of  Pergamos). 

It  is  Hiiid  (12  :  13-lG)  that  it  w^as  Satan,  who  cast  out  of  his 
mouth  (p'lganism)  the  hordes  of  idolatrous  barbarians  against  the 
Roman  Eiupire,  supposing  that  they  would  impose  upon  the  con- 
quered, their  gods,  religion,  and  morals,  and  that  they  would  destroy. 


COMMENTARY.  87 

in  tliis  manner,  the  very  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  because  Grod, 
to  avenge  the  sins  of  his  people,  has  only  to  abandon  us  to  the 
wrath  of  the  wicked  one,  who  is  always  ready  to  destroy.  We  live 
only  by  the  continual  protection  of  God  ;  and,  when  he  is  willing 
to  punish  us  for  our  iniquities,  he  has  but  to  withhold  the  hand  by 
which  we  are  sustained.  Nevertheless,  He  it  is  who  overrules  the 
chastisement,  and  our  enemies  are  not  permitted  to  go  be3^ond  the 
limits  which  He  has  prescribed. 


First  Trumpet. 

V.  6.  7.  "  And  the  seven  angels  which  had  the  seven  trumpets  prepared 
themselves  to  sound.  The  first  angel  sounded,  and  there  followed  hail  and 
fire  mingled  with  blood,  and  they  were  cast  upon  the  earth :  and  the  third 
part  of  trees  was  burnt  up,  and  all  green  grass  was  burnt  up." 

The  Groths  began  to  ravage  the  Empire,  as  soon  as  the  Emperor 
Theodosius  was  dead,  in  395,  and  they  took  Rome  in  410.  Their 
incursions,  under  Alaric,  are  represented  under  the  emblem  of  a 
storm,  which  destroyed  the  third  part  of  trees,  and  all  green  grass, 
and  in  which  there  was  hail  and  fire  mingled  with  blood ;  and  they 
were  cast  upon  the  earth — upon  the  earthly  religion,  the  miry  clay 
(Dan.  2  :  33-43),  which  is  the  emblem  of  a  worldly  religion.  As 
the  storm  and  hail  destroy  the  harvest,  so  the  armies  destroy  the 
cities  and  their  inhabitants.  The  fire  may  represent  the  burning 
of  the  cities  and  villages  ;  and  the  blood,  the  destruction  of  their 
inhabitants ;  but  it  may  be  also  the  fire  of  the  wrath  of  God,  with 
which  the  angel  of  the  Church  of  Pergamos  filled  his  censer  and 
cast  it  into  the  earth,  reminding  the  inhabitants  that  they  expe- 
rienced these  calamities  on  account  of  the  idolatrous  worship,  which 
they  had  established  in  the  temple  of  God.  The  fourth  verse  of 
the  eleventh  chapter  shows  evidently  that  the  words  "  trees"  and 
"  green  grass,"  represent  the  old  and  the  young  Christians ;  but 
they  represent  only,  in  this  text,  the  men  who  were  able  to  make 
war,  and  the  children,  who  were  massacred  by  these  barbarians, 
who,  after  having  reduced  to  ashes  the  cities  and  villages,  carried 
away  their  spoils,  and  their  cattle,  with  a  multitude  of  women.  So, 
the  countries,  which  were  invaded  by  the  savages,  were  desolated, 
as  the  fields  are  wasted  by  hail  :  the  fire  was  mingled  with  the 
blood  of  the  inhabitants,  and  everything  which  pleases  the  eyes — ■ 
the  trees  and  all  green  grass  (men  and  children) — was  burnt  up. 

We  have  seen  in  the  sixth  chapter  that  the  Empire  was  divided 
into  four  parts  under  the  reign  of  Diocletian  -,  but,  after  the  death 
of  Constantino,  in  337,  it  was  divided  among  his  sons,  into  three 
parts.     Flav.   CI.   Constantino,   by  his   surname   Constantino  the 


88  COMMENTARY. 

Junior,  had  Spain,  the  Grauls,  and  Great  Britain  ;  Fl.  Jul.  Val. 
Constantius  had  Asia  and  Egypt ;  and  Fl.  Jul.  Constans  had  Italy, 
Illyria,  and  Africa.  Therefore,  when  the  prophet  says  that  '-  the 
third  part  of  trees  was  burnt  up,"  he  designates  Italy,  as  forming 
a  part  of  the  Empire,  divided  among  the  three  sons  of  Gonstantine, 
which  part  had  to  suffer  the  most  from  these  barbarians. 


Second  Trumpet. 

V.  8,  9.  *'  And  the  second  angel  sounded,  and  as  it  were  a  great  mountain 
burning  with  fire  was  cast  into  the  sea  ;  and  the  third  part  of  the  sea  became 
blood.  And  the  third  part  of  the  creatures  which  were  in  the  sea,  and  had 
life,  died;  and  the  third  part  of  the  ships  were  destroyed." 

The  image  of  a  great  mountain  burning  with  fire,  which  was  cast 
into  the  sea,  gives  us  a  just  idea  of  the  invasion  of  Genseric,  in 
455 ;  but  it  could  not  represent  that  of  Attila,  which  took  place  in 
441.  The  reason  is,  that  Genseric  began  to  ravage  the  empire  with 
his  Vandals  in  407,  when  he  passed  through  the  Gauls  and  Spain, 
to  go  to  Africa,  where  he  had  laid  the  foundation  of  his  kingdom. 
He  had,  thus,  the  right  to  appear  before  Attila  in  this  theatre  of 
destruction.  He  came  from  the  burning  countries  of  Africa,  and 
he  fell  suddenly  into  the  sea,  as  it  were  a  great  mountain  burning 
with  fire — as  the  Mount  Etna — and  the  sea  became  blood.  He 
was  at  the  head  of  three  hundred  thousand  men,  either  Moors  or 
Vandals ;  he  destroyed  the  Roman  fleet  in  the  port  of  Ostia ;  he 
took  Rome,  and  abandoned  it  to  pillage  and  to  the  unrestrained 
licentiousness  of  his  soldiers.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  city,  because 
it  was  not  destroyed,  the  barbarians  having  been  satisfied  with  the 
spoils  of  the  conquered.  But  they  spared  so  little  the  monuments 
of  arts  and  sciences,  that,  the  name  of  "  Vandalism"  has  since 
been  used  to  designate  those,  who,  like  them,  are  ignorant  of 
their  value,  and  care  little  for  their  preservation. 

In  this  short  incursion  of  one  year,  the  Roman  fleet  was  de- 
stroyed, as  it  is  represented  by  "the  sea  which  became  blood;"  and 
the  sailors,  the  creatures,  which  were  in  the  sea,  were  killed.  The 
words  :  "the  third  part  of  the  ships  were  destroyed,"  point  out  the 
event,  designated  by  "  the  mountain  burning  with  fire  cast  into  the 
sea,"  which  became  blood ;  and  the  "  third  jmrt  of  the  sea — of  the 
creatures,"  indicates,  as  the  theatre  of  this  event,  Italy,  one  of  the 
countries  of  the  Empire  divided  into  three  parts. 


Third  Trumpet. 

V.  10,  11,  "And  the  third  angel  sounded,  and  there  fell  a  great  star  from 
heaven,  burning  as  it  were  a  lamp,  and  it  fell  upon  the   third  part  of  the 


COMMENTARY.  89 

rivers,  and  upon  the  fountains  of  waters;  and  the  name  of  the  star  is  called 
Wormwood;  and  the  third  part  of  the  waters  became  wormwood, and  many- 
men  died  of  the  waters,  because  they  were  made  bitter." 

The  Huns,  a  people  from  Scythia,  hold  the  third  rank  in  the 
prophetic  picture  of  the  desolations  of  the  Roman  Empire  ;  because 
their  incursions  under  Attila,  began  only  in  427,  and  continued  to 
441.  The  countries  upon  which  this  ferocious  conqueror  fell,  as  it 
were  a  burning  lamp,  are  clearly  designated  as  the  source  of  rivers 
and  fountains  of  waters.  For,  if  we  take  a  geographic  map,  and 
look  for  such  a  country  in  Europe,  we  see  that  the  prophet  has 
evidently  pointed  out  the  mountains  of  the  Alps,  in  the  north  of 
Italy,  in  Piedmont  and  Lombardy,  from  which  spring  the  Rhone, 
Rhine,  Po,  and  Danube  Rivers  (see  the  same  country  pointed  out 
as  the  dwelling-place  of  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  16  :  4-7). 

Attila,  surnamed  by  the  historians  '^the  scourge  of  God,"  and 
by  the  prophet  "  Wormwood,"  for  the  cruel  and  bitter  desolations 
which  he  caused  everywhere  he  led  his  triumphant  army,  came 
from  the  east  and  fell  upon  these  countries,  threatening  Rome  with 
an  utter  destruction ;  but  his  life  ended  with  the  same  rapidity, 
with  which  the  meteors*  by  which  he  is  represented,  disappear  from 
our  eyes.  It  is  easily  understood  what  sufferings  the  inhabitants  of 
these  countries  had  to  endure  from  these  barbarians,  who,  after 
having  lost  their  chief,  abandoned  themselves  freely  to  pillage  with 
all  their  brutish  ferocity.  But  nothing  can  give  us  a  more  vivid 
picture  of  their  calamities,  than  the  emblems  by  which  they  are 
represented :  "  And  the  third  part  of  the  waters  became  worm- 
wood ;  and  many  men  died  of  the  waters,  because  they  were  made 
bitter." 


Fourth  Trumpet. 

V.  12.  "  And  the  fourth  angel  sounded,  and  the  third  part  of  the  sun  -was 
smitten,  and  the  third  part  of  the  moon,  and  the  third  part  of  the  stars;  so  as 
the  third  part  of  them  was  darkened,  and  the  day  shone  not  for  a  third  part 
of  it,  and  the  night  likewise." 

The  prophet  gives  no  image  to  represent  the  incursions  of 
Odoacer :  he  gives  only  the  results  of  his  conquests.  Likewise,  if 
you  read  history,  you  will  find  nothing  positive  about  the  incursions 
of  this  chief  of  the  Heruli.     The  very  name  of  the  countries,  from 

*  A  princess  of  Burgundy,  called  Hildegonde,  having  married  him,  in 
order  to  deliver  the  world  from  that  terrible  enemy,  as  well  as  to  avenge 
the  city  of  Aquilea,  which  he  had  just  reduced  to  ashes,  poniarded  him.  He 
ravaged  Venice,  in  450,  and  the  islands  at  the  foot  of  the  Adriatic  Gulf. 


90  COMMENTARY. 

which  these  barbarians  came,  is  unknown,  except  that  it  is  said 
that  they  came  from  the  west,  in  -1:76 — that  Odoacer  took  the  title 
of  King  of  all  Italy,  under  the  reign  of  the  feeble  IMomillus,  called 
by  derision  "  Augustulus" — that  the  same  Odoacer  took  the  govern- 
ment of  Kome  itself  in  480.  And  thus  ended  the  colossus  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  by  the  hands  of  this  chief  of  barbarians,  supposed 
to  have  come  from  Prussia. 

'^  The  third  part  of  the  sun  was  smitten,  and  the  third  part  of 
the  moon,  and  the  third  part  of.  the  stars ;  so  as  the  third  part  of 
them  was  darkened,  and  the  day  shone  not  for  a  third  part  of  it, 
and  the  night  likewise.'^  The  sun,  being  in  the  prophetic  language, 
the  figure  of  the  chief  of  the  state ;  and  the  moon,  the  emblem  of  a 
false  religion,  shedding  but  a  borrowed  light ;  and  the  stars,  repre- 
senting the  subaltern  chiefs,  either  civil  or  ecclesiastic  (6  :  12-17), 
we  have,  in  this  emblematic  language,  a  fair  picture  of  the  western 
empire, — Italy,  the  third  part  of  it — after  this  invasion  of  the 
Heruli.  The  words,  ^'the  day  shone  not  for  a  third  part  of  it, 
and  the  night  likewise,"  signify,  therefore,  that  the  Roman  Empire, 
being  smitten  by  Odoacer,  the  emperor  and  "the  inferior  chiefs  had 
neither  power  nor  glory,  and  that  its  religion  lost  likewise  all  her 
heavenly  light.  This  pagan  empire,  the  fourth  monarchy  spoken 
of  by  Daniel,  under  the  emblem  of  a  dreadful  and  terrible  beast 
(7  :  7-26),  has  been  wounded  to  death,  and  has  become  the  prey 
of  ten  barbarian  people,  represented  by  the  ten  horns  of  the  same 
beast.  Now,  he  who  hindered  the  man  of  sin — "  a  king  diverse 
from  the  others" — from  being  revealed,  has  been  taken  out  of  the 
way ;  and  we  shall  soon  see  this  son  of  perdition  exalting  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God,  and  as  God  sitting  in  the  temple  of 
God,  showing  himself  that  he  is  God  (2  Th.  2  :  3-12).  An  angel 
flying  through  the  midst  of  heaven  admonishes  us — by  the  thrice 
repeated  cry:  '^  Woe,  woe,  woe," — of  the  long  and  dreadful  calami- 
ties of  his  reign,  which  shall  continue  1260  yeare. 

V.  13.  "  And  I  beheld,  and  heard  an  angel  flying  through  the  midst  of 
heaven,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Woe,  woe,  woe,  to  the  inhabiters  of  the 
earth,  by  reason  of  the  other  voices  of  the  trumpet  of  the  three  angels,  which 
are  yet  to  sound." 

Men  did  not  repent  during  the  calamities  which  we  have  just 
examined.  On  the  contrary,  instead  of  teaching  these  barbarians 
the  pure  and  holy  truths  of  Christianity,  to  raise  up  their  feelings 
and  thoughts  to  the  true  God,  they  endeavored  only  to  enchant 
them,  with  bright  ornaments,  and  pompous  ceremonies;  they 
stooped  to  their  level,  and  abased  Christianity  to  the  level  of 
paganism,  exchanging  their  saints  with  their  gods,  to  have  their 


COMMENTARY.  91 

names  registered  in  their  degraded  Christianity.  It  was  in  this 
manner  that  the  moon,  the  emblem  of  this  pagan  Christianity,  as 
dark  as  the  night,  ''  shone  not  for  a  third  part  of  it."  Therefore, 
new  calamities  are  at  hand,  as  we  are  admonished  by  the  angel, 
saying  with  a  loud  voice,  "Woe,  woe,  woe,  to  the  inhabiters  of 
the  earth  !" 

Mark  these  words,  ^^  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth,'^  which  we  find 
again  in  the  twelfth  verse  of  the  twelfth  chapter,  where  it  is  said, 
"  Hejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  ye  that  dwell  in  them.  Woe  to  the  in- 
habiters of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea  I"  The  meaning  of  this  verse 
is:  rejoice,  ye  who  dwell  in  a  civil  and  Christian  kingdom  or 
empire  (of  which  the  '^heaven"  is  an  emhleni);  woe  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  a  kino;dom  in  which  the  church  and  the  state  are  united 
(the  earth,  or  miry  clay,  being  the  emblem  of  an  earthly  religion, 
and  the  sea,  that  of  the  civil  powers  Dan.  2  :  33-4:5;  7  :  2-13). 
Therefore  these  words,  "  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth,"  mean :  woe 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom  or  empire,  when  it  shall  be 
under  the  government  of  a  false,  earthly  religion.  Here,  religion 
stands  alone;  for  the  civil  power  has  been  destroyed.  Rome  is 
but  a  dukedom  tributary  to  the  Ravenna's  exarchate;  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  will  soon  take  possession  of  the  throne  of  the  Caesars,  and  open 
the  bottomless  pit  (the  destTuction  of  the  Roman  Empire),  out  of 
which  shall  come  the  three  woes,  which  are,  1st.,  Popery  and  the 
Middle  Age,  with  the  incursions  of  the  Mahometans ;  2d,  the  Cru- 
sades, with  the  destruction  of  the  Eastern  Empire  by  the  Turks ; 
and  3d,  the  infidelity  of  the  eighteenth  century,  with  the  anarchy 
which  brought  forth  the  French  Revolution  of  1793,  and  which 
will  end  only  by  the  destruction  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  that 
they  should  be  the  Lord's. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

POPERY     AND      THE     MIDDLE     AGE — BONIFACE     III.,     THE     FIRST 

POPE,    IN    606 MAHOMET   AND    HIS    ARMIES THE    TAKING    OF 

CONSTANTINOPLE   BY   THE   TURKS,    IN    1453. 

The  Roman  Empire  is  no  more.  But,  according  to  the  pro- 
phetic teachings,  the  ten  barbarian  people  by  which  it  was  de- 
stroyed, ought  to  raise  it  up  out  of  its  ruins,  by  dividing  its  pro- 
vinces among  themselves,  and  giving  their  power  to  the  man  of  sin. 


92  COMMENTARY. 

called,  "  the  great  Antichrist,"  to  whom  the  way  to  the  throne  of 
the  Caesars  is  now  opened.  The  fourth  monarchy,  represented  in 
the  seventh  chapter  of  Daniel,  under  the  emblem  of  a  dreadful 
beast  with  ten  horns,  has  evidently  two  distinct  existences,  figured, 
the  one,  by  the  beast  itself,  and  the  other,  by  the  ten  horns. 
''  The  fourth  beast,"  the  prophet  says,  "  shall  be  the  fourth  kingdom 
upon  earth,  which  shall  be  diverse  from  all  kingdoms,  and  shall 
devour  the  whole  earth,  and  shall  tread  it  down,  and  break  it  in 
pieces."  This  is  the  Empire,  which  has  been  destroyed  by  the 
four  chiefs  of  the  barbarians.  The  prophet  adds:  '' And  the  ten 
horns  out  of  this  kingdom  are  ten  kings  that  shall  arise :  and 
another  shall  rise  after  them  ;  and  he  shall  be  diverse  from  the  first, 
and  he  shall  subdue  three  kings.  And  he  shall  speak  great  words 
against  the  most  high,  and  shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  most 
high,  and  think  to  change  times  and  laws :  and  they  shall  be  given 
unto  his  hand  until  a  time  and  times  and  the  dividing  of  time ;" 
that  is,  1260  years.  Such  is  the  character  of  the  second  part  of  this 
Empire,  "  wounded  to  death,"  according  to  the  expression  of  Saint 
John,  by  the  same  barbarians,  who  shall  raise  it  up  out  of  its  ruins, 
with  the  other  who  shall  rise  after  them,  and  who  "  shall  be" — 
mark  it  well — "  diverse  from  the  first ;"  and  who  can  be  no  other 
than  a  king-priest,  and  whose  kingdom  is  popedom,  as  it  shall  be 
proved  hereafter.  The  two  ages  of  the  Church,  figured  by  the 
letters  to  the  churches  in  Thyatira  and  Sardis,  synchronize  with  the 
events  included  in  this  chapter,  which  contains  four  distinct  parts. 

1.  At  the  sounding  of  the  fifth  trumpet,  a  star  fallen  from 
heaven  unto  the  earth,  receives  the  key  to  open  the  bottomless  pit, 
representing  the  utter  destruction  of  the  Roman  I^mpire ;  and  out 
of  the  pit  arose  a  smoke,  as  the  smoke  of  a  great  furnace,  by  which 
the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened.  And  this  smoke  is  the  emblem 
of  Popery  and  of  the  Dark  Ages,  which  arose  out  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  the  key,  or  power,  of  which  was  given  to  the 
Bishop  of  Rome  ;  verses  1,  2. 

2.  Out  of  the  smoke  came  locusts  upon  the  earth;  and  unto 
them  was  given  power  to  torment  men  five  prophetic  months,  that 
is,  150  years.  Their  king,  the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit,  sent  to 
punish  the  churches  for  this  apostacy,  is  called  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue  "  Abaddon,"  and  in  Greek  "  Apollyon,"  the  destroyer, — 
and  represent  the  Saracens,  and  Mahomet,  spoken  of  by  the 
prophet  Daniel  (8  :  23-26) ;  venses  3-11. 

3.  At  the  sounding  of  the  sixth  trumpet,  four  angels,  bound  in 
the  great  river  Euphrates,  and  ready  to  accomplish  the  command 
of  God,  are  let  loose,  to  slay  the  third  part  of  men ;  that  is,  Con- 


COMMENTARY.  93 

stantinople,  ^'hj  fire  and  smoke  and  brimstone,"  representing  the 
artillery,  by  wliicli  the  Turks  took  Constantinople ;  verses  12,  19. 

4.  The  prophet  teaches  us  in  the  last  yerses  that  these  calami- 
ties have  fallen  upon  men  for  their  worshipping  devils,  and  idols  of 
gold,  silver,  brass,  and  stone  and  wood,  and  for  their  being  mur- 
derers, sorcerers,  fornicators,  and  thieves. 


Fifth  Trumpet. 


V.  1,2.  "And  the  fifth  angel  sounded,  and  I  saw  a  star  fall  from  heaven 
unto  the  earth :  and  to  him  was  given  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit.  And  he 
opened  the  bottomless  pit;  and  there  arose  a  smoke  out  of  tbe  pit,  as  the 
smoke  of  a  great  furnace;  and  the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened  by  reason 
of  the  smoke  of  the  pit." 

Instead  of,  "and  I  saw  a  star  fall  from  heaven,"  the  Grreek, 
"  eidon  astera  peptokota,''  indicates  that  the  star  was  already 
fallen  (see  8  :  3-5).  The  stars  are  the  angels  or  bishops  of  the 
churches  (1  :  20)  -,  therefore  this  star,  fallen  from  heaven  unto  the 
earth,  from  the  heavenly  religion  of  Jesus  unto  an  earthly  and 
idolatrous  religion,  cannot  be  the  emblem  of  the  person,  spoken  of 
(verse  11)  as  the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit.  For  the  one  who 
receives  the  key  to  open  the  pit,  can  in  no  wise  be  the  one  who 
comes  out  of  it  with  his  armies.  The  angel  of  the  pit,  who  is  the 
instrumentality  of  the  vengeance  of  the  Lord,  cannot  be  the  one 
who  has  provoked  them.  Besides  this,  the  prophet  would  not  re- 
present in  the  same  picture  the  same  person  under  the  two  different 
emblems  of  "  star"  and  "  angel."  Therefore,  if  Mahomet,  who 
never  professed  Christianity,  nor  taught  his  followers  to  worship 
devils,  or  deified  souls  of  men,  or  to  kneel  down  before  idols  of  gold 
and  silver,  be  this  angel  of  the  pit,  this  Apollyon,  the  destroyer,  as 
he  was  indeed;  Boniface  III.,  an  apostate  bishop,  fallen  from  the 
faith,  who  consecrated  the  worship  of  devils  and  of  idols  of  gold,  of 
silver,  of  stone  and  wood  -,  who,  by  the  favor  of  the  tyrant  Phocas, 
usurped  the  title  of  universal  bishop  and  laid  thus  the  foundation 
of  popery ;  is  himself  that  fallen  star,  to  whom  the  key  of  the  bot- 
tomless pit  was  given. 

His  predecessor,  Grregory.  the  Great,  said  in  a  letter,  written  in 
602,  to  the  Bishop  of  Constantinople,  who  was  attempting  to  usurp 
the  same  title,  ''  that  any  one  who  should  usurp  the  title  of  uni- 
versal bishop,  would  be  the  forerunner  of  Antichrist,  were  he  not 
Antichrist  himself."  Four  years  later  his  successor,  13oniface  III., 
received  from  the  bloody  hands  of  the  usurper  Phocas,  the  key  of 
the  bottomless  pit,  out  of  which  came  the  Dark  Ages,  represented 


94  COMMENTARY. 

by  the  smoke  of  the  pit  and  by  the  darkeninp:  of  the  "sun  and  of 
the  air/'  which  are  here  the  emblems  of  light,  science  and  under- 
standing. The  Devil,  who  is  the  prince  of  darkness,  destroys  light 
and  knowledge,  and  favors  error  and  ignorance,  in  order  that  men 
should  be  blinded  and  easily  led  astray.  The  papal  pretensions, 
flivored  by  the  dark  smoke  of  the  pit,  by  the  false  decretals,  by 
legends  of  saints  and  lying  miracles,  increased  more  and  more  in 
proportion  as  the  people  were  sinking  into  such  a  deep  ignorance 
that  they  seemed  to  have  fallen  into  infancy,  and  that  they  could 
have  been  prevailed  upon  "  to  feed  upon  straw,"  says  a  German 
philosopher,  "and  to  ruminate  like  beasts,  had  not  Luther  come 
to  open  their  eyes." 

"  And  to  him  was  given  the  key  of  the  bottomless  pit."  This 
expression,  "the  bottomless  pit,"  cannot  represent  hell,  as  it  has 
been  imagined  by  commentators ;  for  it  is  a  prophecy,  and  the 
prophet  speaks  of  things  which  take  place,  not  in  the  invisible 
world,  but  on  the  earth,  in  the  Roman  Empire,  which  is  the 
heaven  spoken  of  in  this  prophecy.  The  same  expression  is 
employed  (20  :  1-3)  to  represent  the  utter  destruction  of  the  king- 
doms of  this  world,  at  the  coming  of  the  Lord ;  but  there  the  key 
of  that  destruction,  of  that  bottomless  pit,  is  given  to  an  angel 
from  heaven  ;  and  in  opening  that  abyss,  he  brings  forth  the  king- 
dom of  the  Lord;  whilst  "the  fallen  star,"  in  this  chapter,  brings 
forth  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Empire,  popedom,  and  the  Dark  Ages, 
aud  all  the  calamities  represented  by  the  smoke  of  a  great  furnace 
and  by  the  darkening  of  the  sun  and  of  the  air,  which  are  the 
symbols  of  knowledge  and  understanding  (see  the  state  of  the 
Church  before  the  Reformation,  chap,  x.) 

Popery  was  a  curse  of  God  on  account  of  former  transgressions 
against  the  teachings  of  the  word  of  God.  The  Bishop  of  Rome, 
this  once  faithful  martyr,  Antipas,  had  been  already  killed  by 
riches  and  worldly  grandeurs,  in  the  city  where  Satan  dwelleth. 
The  ambitious  Nicolaitanes  (2  :  G,  13,  15),  who  deprived  the  people 
of  all  power  in  the  administration  of  the  Church,  had  made  ready 
the  way  for  the  manifestation  of  the  man  of  sin.  Every  pagan 
innovation,  the  idolatrous  worship  of  the  saints,  images,  and  relics, 
every  superstitious  practice,  and  antichristian  dogma,  were  sanc- 
tioned as  teachings  of  the  word  of  God;  and  soon  after,  the 
decretals  and  the  legends  of  the  saints  were  the  only  rules  aud 
teachings  of  the  Church,  and  the  holy  city  was  trodden  under  foot 
of  the  Gentiles.  But  the  rod  of  the  Lord  was  ready  to  chastise 
men  for  this  apostacy ;  and  he  cliose  for  the  avengers  of  his 
despised  covenant  the  Saracens,  whose  description  is  given  here 
under  the  emblem  of  locusts  prepared  unto  battle. 


C  O  IvI  M  E  N  T  A 11 Y.  95 

V.  3-12.  "  And  there  came  out  of  the  smoke  locusts  upon  the  earth  :  and 
imto  them  was  given  power,  as  the  scorpions  of  the  earth  have  power.  And 
it  was  commanded  them  that  they  sliould  not  hurt  the  grass  of  the  earth, 
neither  any  green  thing,  neither  any  tree  ;  but  only  those  men  which  have  not 
the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads.  And  to  them  it  was  given  that  they 
should  not  kill  them,  but  that  they  should  be  tormented  five  months :  and 
their  torment  was  as  the  torment  of  a  scorpion,  when  he  striketh  a  man. 
And  in  those  days  shall  men  seek  death,  and  shall  not  find  it;  and  shall 
desire  to  die,  and  death  shall  flee  from  them. 

"  And  the  shapes  of  the  locusts  were  like  unio  horses  prepared  unto  battle  ; 
and  on  their  heads  were  as  it  were  crowns  like  gold,  and  their  faces  were  as 
the  faces  of  men.  And  they  had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women,  and  their  teeth 
Avere  as  the  teeth  of  lions.  And  they  had  breastplates,  as  it  were  breastplates 
of  iron;  and  the  sound  of  their  wings  was  as  the  sound  of  chariots  of  many 
horses  running  to  battle.  And  they  had  tails  like  unto  scorpions,  and  there 
were  stings  in  their  tails:  and  their  power  was  to  hurt  men  five  months. 
And  they  had  a  king  over  them,  which  is  the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit, 
whose  name  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  is  Abaddon,  but  in  the  Greek  tongue 
hath  his  name  Apollyon.  One  woe  is  past ;  and,  behold,  there  come  two 
woes  more  hereafter." 

This  description  of  tlie  locusts  points  out  tlie  armies  of  tlie 
Saracens,  led  by  the  caliphs,  successors  of  Mahomet.  They  are 
represented  under  that  emblem,  because  there  come,  every  year 
from  May  to  October,  that  is,  during  five  months,  clouds  of  locusts 
out  of  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  the  native  country  of  the  Saracens, 
which  waste  in  one  night  the  fields  upon  which  they  fall.  They 
"  came  out  of  the  smoke"  of  the  great  furnace,  the  emblem  of  the 
wrath  of  God  on  account  of  the  mystery  of  iniquity,  T>diich  has 
been  revealed  by  the  manifestation  of  the  man  of  sin,  the  great 
Antichrist;  and  they  fell  ^' upon  the  earth,"  upon  the  countries 
in  which  Christianity  had  been  corrupted.  "  And  unto  them  was 
given  power  as  the  scorpions  of  the  earth  have  power."  The 
Saracens  had  power  to  'set  up  the  Crescent  instead  of  the  Cross, 
wherever  their  arms  were  victorious,  and  so  the  Gospel  candlestick 
was  removed  out  of  its  place.  As  the  scorpions  slay  the  body, 
the  Saracens  have  in  the  same  manner  power  to  destroy  the  soul, 
by  taking  away  from  them  their  Mediator  and  lledeemer. 

Nevertheless,  their  power  was  limited  :  "  And  it  was  commanded 
them  that  they  should  not  hurt  the  grass  of  the  earth,  neither  any 
green  thing,  neither  any  tree;  but  only" — mark  these  words,  which 
are  in  a  common  language,  and  give  us  evidently  the  meaning  of 
the  figures  "grass  of  the  earth,  green  thing,  and  tree;" — "but 
only  those  men  which  have  not  the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads." 
Consequently,  if  they  had  only  power  to  hurt  those  who  had  not 
the  seal  of  God  in  their  foreheads,  as  the  nominal  Christians,  the 
worshippers  of  saints,  of  images,  and  relics,  the  shaved  heads,  and 


96  COMMENTARY. 

generally  all  the  corrupters  of  Christianity,  it  follows  that  they  had 
no  power  to  hurt  (to  force  to  embrace  Islamism)  the  true  Chris- 
tians, either  old  or  young,  represented  by  the  grass  of  the  earth,  the 
green  thing,  and  tree  (Jer.  11  :  19 ;  17  :  8),  who  had  been  sealed 
in  the  seventh  chapter,  to  be  witnesses  of  the  Lord,  during  the 
reign  of  popery.  Again,  "they  should  not  kill  them"  (the  nomi- 
nal and  apostate  Christians);  for  they  are  preserved  for  the  last 
vial  of  the  wrath  of  God,  but  it  was  given  them  "  that  they  should 
be  tormented  five  months;"  that  is,  150  years  (Ez.  4:6);  "and 
their  torment  was  as  the  torment  of  a  scorpion;"  for  they  were 
obliged  to  apostatize,  to  turn  disciples  of  Mahomet.  And,  though 
they  were  but  nominal  Christians,  it  remained  in  their  conscience, 
after  their  apostacy,  a  sting  which  was  striking  and  tormenting 
them,  as  "  when  a  scorpion  striketh  a  man,"  so  that  they  desired 
to  die,  to  be  delivered  from  their  devouring  remorses,  and  death 
fled  from  them. 

"  And  the  shapes  of  the  locusts  were  like  unto  horses  prepared 
unto  battle ;"  because  the  Arabians  are  ingenious  in  the  art  of 
breaking  a  horse  for  the  combat ;  and  becavise  their  principal  forces 
consisted  in  cavalry.  "The  crowns  like  gold  on  their  heads,"  are 
the  yellow  turbann,  which  the  Mahometans  wear  still  in  our  days. 
"  The  hair  as  the  hair  of  women"  are  the  tails  with  which  their 
equipment  is  ornamented,  and  by  which  the  pachas  are  still,  at 
present,  distinguished.  "  Their  teeth  were  as  the  teeth  of  lions," 
to  show  forth  their  strength  and  invincible  courage ;  "  their  faces 
of  men,  their  breastplates  of  iron,  the  sound  of  their  wings  as  the 
sound  of  chariots  of  many  horses,  running  to  battle,"  are  as  many 
characters,  given  by  the  prophet,  to  show  that  he  has  represented, 
under  the  emblems  of  locusts,  the  numerous  and  invincible  armies 
of  the  Saracens  rushing  to  the  battle,  out  of  the  deserts  of  Arabia, 
as  the  clouds  of  locusts  fall  in  the  night  upon  the  harvest,  which 
they  destroy  in  a  moment.  "The  sound  of  their  wings"  is  the 
image  of  their  military  movements,  with  their  chariots  drawn  by 
many  horses;  and,  for  "the  tails  like  unto  scorpions,"  which  they 
had,  the  prophet  Isaiah  (9:15),  gives  us  the  true  meaning  of  this 
emblem,  when  he  says :  "  The  prophet  that  teacheth  lies,  he  is  the 
tail."  Therefore,  the  tails  like  unto  scorpions,  represent  the  Koran, 
the  religion  of  the  prophet  Mahomet,  that  teacheth  lies,  which  was 
imposed  upon  the  conquered,  and  which  continued  its  fatal  effects, 
after  they  had  left  the  country.  "  The  stings  in  their  tails,"  may 
represent  either  the  remorse  which  followed  the  apostacy,  or  the 
swurd  with  which  the  ferocious  IMussulmans  forced  the  deger.cvated 
Christians  to  embrace  the  religion  of  their  prophet  Apollyon,  the 
destroyer. 


COMMENTARY.  97 

Mahomet  is  called  "the  angel  of  the  bottomless  pit/'  because  he 
was,  in  the  hand  of  Grod,  the  instrumentality  made  use  of  to  punish 
the  apostates  who  had  chosen  another  head  of  the  Church,  and  had 
formed  other  mediators  than  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  alone  the  Head 
and  Mediator  of  his  Church.  The  Saracens,  conducted  by  the 
Caliphs,  were  the  rod  of  God  to  punish  the  churches,  in  the  East 
and  the  West,  for  their  unfaithfulness  to  the  word  of  Grod.  The 
Turks,  their  successors,  under  the  sultans,  destroyed  the  Eastern 
Empire  and  the  rest  of  these  churches,  who  had  not  repented  of 
their  profanation  of  Christianity.  It  is  the  second  woe,  announced 
at  the  end  of  the  eighth  chapter. 


Sixth  Trumpet. 

V.  13-19.  "And  the  sixth  angel  sounded,  and  I  heard  a  voice  from  the 
four  horns  of  the  golden  altar,  which  is  before  God,  saying  to  the  sixth  angel 
which  had  the  trumpet,  Loose  the  four  angels  which  are  bound  in  the  great 
river  Euphrates.  And  the  four  angels  were  loosed,  which  were  prepared 
for  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a  month,  and  a  year,  for  to  slay  the  third  part  of 
men.  And  the  number  of  the  army  of  the  horsemen,  were  two  hundred  thou- 
sand thousand  :  and  I  heard  the  number  of  them.  And  thus  I  saw  the  horses 
in  the  vision,  and  them  that  sat  on  them,  having  breastplates  of  fire,  and  of 
jacinth,  and  brimstone;  and  the  heads  of  the  horses  were  as  the  heads  of  lions ; 
and  out  of  their  mouths  issued  fire,  and  smoke,  and  brimstone.  By  these  three 
was  the  third  part  of  men  killed,  by  the  fire,  and  by  the  smoke,  and  by  the 
brimstone,  which  issued  out  of  their  mouths.  For  their  power  is  in  their 
mouth,  and  in  their  tails:  for  their  tails  u-ere  like  unto  serpents,  and  had  heads, 
and  with  them  they  do  hurt." 

Before  explaining  the  emblems  of  the  sixth  trumpet,  let  us  glance 
over  the  history  of  Mahomet  and  his  successors.  The  career  of 
Mahomet  dates  from  612,  when,  expelled  from  Mecca,  his  native 
country,  he  fled  to  Medina,  the  city  of  the  prophet.  He  was  born 
in  577,  of  illustrious  but  poor  parents.  A  rich  widow,  named 
Chadiga,  hired  him  to  transport  goods  into  Syria  upon  camels,  and 
she  became  his  wife.  He  said  that  he  was  inspired.  He  had  a 
great  abhorrence  for  graven  images,  and  he  was  painfully  affected 
by  the  degradation  and  irreligion  of  his  nation,  and  spent  whole 
months  in  solitude  and  fastings.  He  pretended  to  have  every 
night  interviews  with  the  angel  Gabriel ;  his  pretended  inspirations 
and  conversations  with  this  angel,  formed  every  day  a  new  page  of 
his  Koran,  which  was  posted  up  and  read  publicly.  He  was  a  long 
time  the  object  of  the  ridicule  even  of  his  nearest  relatives,  and 
was  obliged  to  escape  from  Mecca.  But,  nine  years  after  his  flight, 
he  was  surrounded  by  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  thousand  i^lus- 
sulmans,  and  he  was  enabled  to  vanquish  the  armies  of  the  Jews  and 

9 


98  COMMENTARY. 

Christians,  united  together.  The  Caliphs,  his  successors,  conquered 
Arabia,  Chaldea,  Persia,  Syria,  Phoenicia,  Palestine,  and  l^gypt. 
Afterwards,  turning  to  the  west,  they  overran  the  countries  along 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  took  the  islands  of  Rhodes,  Cyprus,  and 
Sicily;  then,  passing  Hercules'  Pillars,  they  founded  the  kingdom 
of  Granada,  in  Spain,  and  passing  over  the  Pyrenees,  they  advanced 
into  the  centre  of  France,  even  to  the  walls  of  Poictiers,  where 
Charles  Martel  arrested  their  j)rogress  in  732, 

The  course  of  their  conquests  terminated  in  772,  when  they  re- 
tired to  the  borders  of  the  Tigris,  where  they  began  to  till  the 
ground,  and  founded  Bagdad,  the  metropolis  of  the  empire  of.  the 
Caliphs,  or  of  the  vicars  of  Mahomet.  In  1031,  the  Turks  Seld- 
joucids,  thus  named  from  Seldjouk,  one  of  their  sultans,  took  pos- 
session of  Persia.  Kaiem  Bamrillah,  one  of  the  Caliphs,  crowned  in 
1057,  as  sultan  of  Bagdad,  Togrulbeg,  the  grandson  of  Seldjouk; 
and  from  that  time  the  Caliphs  did  not  reign  any  more,  except 
under  the  protection  of  the  sultans,  so  that  the  Moslems'  empire 
began  in  1057.  The  power  of  the  sultans  became  soon  threatening; 
but  they  were  detained  upon  the  shores  of  the  Euphrates,  by  the 
Crusades,  which  commenced  in  1095,  and  terminated  at  the  death 
of  St.  Louis  in  1260,  or  rather  in  1250,  at  the  battle  of  Massoure, 
in  which  he  was  made  a  prisoner;  and  his  brother,  the  Earl  of 
Artois,  killed  (the  last  crusade  of  St.  Louis,  having  had  no  effect, 
should  not  be  accounted  for).  Every  one  is  acquainted  with  the 
numerous  disasters  of  the  Crusaders,  which  were  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  words,  "  I  will  kill  her  children  with  death"  (2  :  22, 
23).  The  Turks,  being  loosed,  at  the  end  of  the  Crusades,  com- 
menced their  incursions  under  Othman  I.,  in  1299;  and,  at  the 
close  of  the  fourteenth  century,  they  passed  the  Bosphorus,  under 
Bajazeth;  they  took  possession  of  Thracia,  plundered  Greece; 
established  themselves  in  Adrianople,  and  took  Constantinople 
in  1453.  Then,  they  overran  Macedonia,  Albania,  Esclavonia, 
Croatia,  Bulgaria,  Hungary,  and  came,  in  1529,  to  besiege  Vienna, 
where  Charles  the  Fifth  arrested  their  progress.  It  is  of  iNIahomet 
that  it  is  spoken,  in  Daniel  (8  :  23-25,  and  11  :  40-45),  where 
the  seat  of  the  Turkish  Empire  is  clearly  designated  by  these  words  : 
''  2Vnd  he  shall  plant  the  tabernacles  of  his  palace,  between  the 
seas  in  (or  towards)  the  glorious  holy  mountain,"  towards  Jeru- 
salem the  glorious  and  holy  mountain  of  Zion.  Now,  let  us  exa- 
mine our  text. 

When  the  sixth  angel  sounded,  "  a  voice  from  the  four  horns  of 
the  golden  altar"  was  heard,  saying,  "  Loose  the  four  angels  which 
arc  bound  in  the  great  river  I^uphratcs."  The  golden  altar  being 
the  emblem  of  the  worship  which  we  render  to  God  through  the 


COMMENTARY.  99 

mediation  of  Jesus  Clirist,  tlie  voice,  whicli  comes  from  the  altar, 
indicates  that  it  is  to  avenge  the  purity  of  His  worship,  which  had 
been  polluted  by  the  worship  of  the  saints  and  images,  that  it  is 
ordered  to  loose  these  four  angels.  These  four  angels  are  the 
sultans  of  Alep,  Iconium,  Damas,  and  Bagdad,  which  had  been 
the  seats  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Turks  from  the  eleventh  century, 
when  they  had  conquered  Persia  and  the  countries  along  the  River 
Euphrates.  They  had  been  as  it  were  bound  on  the  shores  of  this 
river,  by  the  Crusades,  which  prevented  their  progress.  But,  now, 
heaven  itself  commands  to  loose  them  ;  and  these  avengers  of  the 
worship  of  God,  which  has  been  polluted  by  the  worship  of  idols, 
commenced  their  ravages  in  1299. 

"  They  were  prepared  for  an  hour,  and  a  day,  and  a  month,  and 
a  year,  for  to  slay  the  third  part  of  men,'^  the  Eastern  Empire, 
which  was  the  third  part  of  the  Roman  Empire  as  it  had  been 
divided  among  the  three  sons  of  Constantine.  As,  according  to 
the  prophetic  style,  one  day  makes  one  year;  an  hour  makes  15 
days  ;  a  month,  80  years ;  and  one  year,  365  years  ;  for  the  prophet 
employs  here  the  word  ^' eniauton"  (one  year),  and  not  the  word 
"  kairos"  (a  time  which  makes  only  360  years),  made  use  of  to 
indicate  the  number  of  years  of  existence  given  to  a  false  religion. 
These  different  numbers,  designated  by  ^^one  hour,"  "a  day,'^  "a, 
month,"  and  "a  year,"  being  united  together,  make  396  years,  and 
15  days.  Scott  supposes,  with  Bishop  Lloyd,  that  the  prophet 
has  indicated  by  this  number  of  years,  the  time  during  which  the 
Turks  would  be  permitted  to  torment  the  degenerated  Christians ; 
and,  according  to  him,  the  Turks  commenced  their  ravages  in  1302 
and  finished  them  in  1698,  which  was  the  epoch  of  their  decline. 
But  it  is  not  the  meaning  of  the  prophecy ;  for  the  prophet  says 
that  they  were  prepared,  all  this  time  before,  "  to  slay  the  third 
part  of  men,"  the  Eastern  Empire,  by  the  taking  of  Constantinople. 
Now,  according  to  history,  Constantinople  was  taken  the  29th  of 
May,  1453 ;  and  Mahomet  XL  entered  into  the  city  the  1st  of 
June.  Therefore,  if  out  of  this  number  we  take  396  years  and 
15  days,  we  shall  have,  the  year  1057  (Chronological  Tables  of 
French  History,  by  Anquetil,  2d  ed.,  page  148,  vol.  xiii.),  for  the 
time  in  which  they  were  prepared  to  execute  the  judgments  of  the 
Lord.  And  it  was  precisely  in  1057  that  Togrulbeg  was  crowned 
by  the  Caliph  of  Bagdad,  and  became  the  founder  of  the  Moslem 
Empire.  It  was  then  from  that  time  that  God  prepared  this  empire 
to  punish,  in  1453,  the  city  of  Constantinople,  for  having  conse- 
crated the  worship  of  images  in  its  councils,  in  842  and  879. 

^'  And  the  number  of  the  army  of  the  horsemen  were  two  hun- 


100  COMMENTAllY. 

dred  thousand  thousand/'  It  is  not  a  definite  number  for  an  in- 
definite ;  for  if  we  examine  that  their  armies  were  from  six  to  seven 
hundred  thousand  men,  we  may  understand  that,  durin^^  the  time 
of  their  conquests,  from  1299  to  the  taking  of  Constantinople,  in 
1453,  the  number  of  their  horsemen  was  two  hundred  millions,  as 
the  prophet  says  that  he  heard  the  number  of  them.  We  have, 
now,  the  description  of  the  horsemen  and  of  the  artillery  by  which 
they  succeeded  in  the  taking  of  the  city.  "  The  breastplates  of 
fire,  and  of  jacinth,  and  brimstone,''  indicate  the  color,  red,  blue, 
and  yellow,  of  their  military  dress,  such  as  the  Eastern  soldiers  wear 
still  at  present.  "  The  heads  of  the  horses,  as  the  heads  of  lions,'' 
show  the  strength,  courage,  and  intrepidity  of  the  horsemen ;  and 
by  the  words  "  out  of  their  mouths  issued  fire,  and  smoke,  and  briin- 
stone,"  we  see  the  use  which  they  made  of  artillery  at  the  siege  of 
Constantinople.  The  Turks  had  already  attempted,  in  139(3,  to 
take  this  city ;  but  their  efforts  were  unsuccessful.  In  this  new 
attack,  they  were  directed  by  an  engineer  from  Genoa,  their  pri- 
soner, to  make  use  of  artillery;  and  the  city  fell.  As  gunpowder, 
invented  by  the  monk  Roger  Bacon,  and  perfected  by  the  Grerman 
Schwartz,  was  unknown  before  the  fourteenth  century,  the  prophet 
could  see  only  in  his  vision  fire,  smoke,  and  brimstone ;  and  the 
horses  with  the  cannons  and  their  carriages  appeared  to  him  to  be 
the  same  object.  Therefore,  he  says,  that  '^by  these  three  was  tlie 
third  part  of  men  killed,  by  the  fire,  and  by  the  smoke,  and  by 
the  brimstone,  which  issued  out  of  their  mouths.  For  their  power 
is  in  their  mouth  and  in  their  tails  ;"  that  is,  in  the  mouth  of  their 
cannons,  or  rather  in  their  religion  ;  for  they  killed  men  not  only 
in  the  field  of  battle,  but,  everywhere  they  passed,  they  implanted 
the  pernicious  and  destructive  religion  which  the  Saracens  had 
already  propagated  before  them  ;  and  this  misfortune  was  more 
durable  and  pernicious  than  their  most  bloody  conquests.  Chris- 
tianity was  entirely  destroyed  in  those  countries,  and  Mahoraetanism 
becanje  the  prevailing  religion.  It  might  be  said  also,  that  "  the 
tails  like  unto  serpents,"  designate  the  tails  of  the  chiefs — by  which 
the  pachas  are  still  distinguished — undulating  in  the  air,  when  they 
were  rushing  to  battle,  and  imitating  the  windings  of  the  serpent. 
13ut  it  is  more  probable  that  they  represent  the  pernicious  doctrines 
of  Mahomctanism,  like  unto  the  poison  of  the  serpent,  and  that,  "  by 
the  heads  with  which  they  do  hurt,"  he  alludes  either  to  their  fero- 
cious chiefs,  or  to  the  Saracens,  from  whom  they  had  received  this 
religion,  which  they  prescribed  to  the  conquered.  Now,  let  us 
hear  from  the  prophet  himself  the  reason  for  which  Cirod  has  sent 
upon  the  earth  the  scourges  of  the  locusts,  the  Saracens,  and  the 


COMMENTARY.  101 

four  angels,  which  he  had  long  before  prepared,  on  the  shores  of 
the  River  Euphrates, 

V.  20,21.  "And  the  rest  of  the  men  which  were  not  killed  by  these 
plagues  yet  repented  not  of  the  works  of  their  hands,  that  they  should  not 
worship  devils,  and  idols  of  gold,  and  silver,  and  brass,  and  stone,  and  of 
wood:  which  neither  can  see,  nor  hear,  nor  walk:  neither  repented  they  of 
their  murders,  nor  of  their  sorceries,  nor  of  their  fornication,  nor  of  their 
thefts." 

The  rest  of  the  men  which  were  not  killed  by  these  plagues,  or 
obliged  to  embrace  Mahometanism,  repented  not  of  the  works  of  their 
hands.  The  Roman  Church,  which  escaped  from  these  plagues, 
continued  in  her  idolatrous  worship  of  devils — deified  souls  of  dead 
men  canonized  ;*  and  in  the  stupid  worship  of  images,  "  which 
neither  can  see,  nor  hear,  nor  walk,"  notwithstanding  the  express 
teachings  of  the  word  of  God  (Ex.  20  :  4,  5).  ''Neither  repented 
they  of  their  murders,"  perpetrated  by  the  tribunals  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion or  by  the  crusades  against  the  saints  of  the  Lord ;  "  nor  of  their 
sorceries,"  of  the  magic  power  of  the  words  of  the  priests  in  their 
superstitious  ceremonies,  to  impose  upon  the  minds  of  the  ignorant 
people ;  ''  nor  of  their  fornication,"  either  spiritual  or  natural,  as 
the  result  of  a  prescribed  celibacy ;f  "nor  of  their  thefts,"  by  the 
odious  traffic  of  the  holy  religion  of  Jesus. 

The  prophet,  in  saying  that  they  repented  not  of  these  bad  works, 

*  "When  we  are  born  in  the  Roman  Church,  we  do  not  easily  understand 
that  it  is  a  sin  to  pray  to  the  saints  and  kneel  before  images.  We  honor 
them,  they  say,  but  we  do  not  worship  them.  The  heathens  said  also:  •'  we 
do  not  worship  copper,  nor  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  other  matters  with  which 
the  images  are  made."  The  Council  of  Constantinople,  which  ordered  the 
worship  of  images,  says  positively  that  they  ought  to  be  worshipped ;  and  it 
is  consistent  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Rom.an  Church.  For,  to  pray  to  or 
kneel  before  images  to  worship  them,  is  to  adore.  The  worsliip  of  the  saints 
is  what  is  called  here  "  to  worship  devils."  By  devils  the  Greeks  under- 
stood the  souls  of  deified  men,  as  we  are  taught  by  Plato,  explaining  what 
were  their  functions  :  "  Devils  have  been  created,  to  be  as  mediators  and 
agents  between  superior  gods  and  men.  God  is  not  concerned  with  men  ; 
but  all  the  intercourse  between  God  and  men,  is  carried  on  by  the  mediation 
of  the  devils.  They  are  messengers  and  interpreters,  who  come  from  God 
to  men,  and  from  men  to  the  gods.  They  bring  to  men  the  presents  of  the 
gods,  and  to  the  gods,  the  prayers  and  homage  of  men."  Such  is  the  func- 
tion of  the  devils  or  demigods  of  the  heathens.  It  is  difficult  to  establish 
what  is  the  difference  between  these  demigods  and  the  saints  of  the  Roman 
Church:  their  worship  is  equally  called  in  the  book  of  God,  "the  worship 
of  devils." 

t  Platina,  in  his  history,  counts  twenty-two  Popes  who  practised  sorcery; 
thirteen,  who  were  adulterers;  three,  who  were  abandoned  to  lewdness; 
four,  who  were  incestuous  ;  eleven,  who  were  poisoned  with  sodomy  ;  ar.d 
seven,  wlio  favored  licentiousness. 

9-^ 


102  CO  M  M  E  N  T  A R  Y. 

shows  US  indirectly  that  it  was  to  punish  these  crimes  that  the 
Lord  made  use  of  the  Saracens  and  of  the  Turks  to  be  the  instru- 
mentahty  of  his  vengeance.  Impenitence,  when  one  is  tried  by 
the  judgment  of  God,  is  a  sin  which  shall  certainly  cause  the  ruin 
of  the  sinner  (Am.  4  :  6-13);  for  God  is  right  when  he  judges. 
The  Greek  churches  did  not  repent  after  having  been  desolated  by 
the  Saracens,  and  the  Turks  came,  at  the  appointed  time,  to  over- 
throw their  Empire,  and  to  impose  uj)on  them  the  pernicious  doc- 
trines of  Mahomet,  who,  in  killing  soul  and  body,  deserved  well 
the  title  of  Abaddon,  the  destroyer. 

God  has  given  the  Roman  Church  space  to  repent  of  her  forni- 
cation (2  :  21) ;  and  she  repented  not.  She  is  preserved  for  the 
third  woe,  when  the  seventh  angel  shall  sound,  and  shall  pour  out 
the  last  vial  of  the  wrath  of  God.  Now,  Jesus,  the  angel  of  the 
covenant,  comes,  in  the  following  chapter,  to  strip  her  of  her 
usurped  titles  and  power,  and  to  give  anew  to  the  world  the 
Bible,  and  with  it  light  and  liberty. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE   LITTLE    BOOK,    OH   THE    REFORMATION,    IN    1517. 

The  Christian  churches  still  refused,  in  the  eighth  century,  to 
be  overruled  by  the  Roman  bishops.  But  Charlemagne,  having 
been  crowned  Roman  Emperor,  ordered  that  all  the  liturgies  of  the 
churches  of  his  empire  should  be  burnt,  in  order  that  the  Roman 
Latin  liturgy  should  be  alone  made  use  of,  in  his  empire.  Hence- 
forth, the  churches  submitted  insensibly  to  the  power  of  a  chief, 
become  powerful  by  the  gifts  of  several  seigniories  and  principali- 
ties, which  Pepin  and  Charlemagne  made  to  the  Bishop  of  Rome, 
after  having  overcome  the  King  of  the  Lombards.  These  lands, 
called  "The  Justices  of  Saint  Peter,"  were  the  source  of  the 
popes'  temporal  power.  The  feeble  successors  of  Charlemagne  soon 
permitted  them  to  aspire  to  greater  pretensions.  The  decretals, 
llilsely  attributed  to  the  bishops  of  Rome,  from  Clement  I.  to  the 
Pope  Siricius,  favored  their  ambition,  and  secured  impunity  to  the 
bishops.  The  monks,  who  then  infested  towns  and  villages, 
preached  everywhere  the  pope  and  his  saints,  and  propagated 
everywhere  superstition  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  sunk  already 
into  the  most  detrrading  ignorance.     Their  success  was  such  that 


COMMENTARY.  103 

in  the  eleventli  century,  the  universal  sceptre  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  monk  Hildebrand,  Gregory  VII. 

This  audacious  monk  dared  to  say,  in  a  council,  in  1076,  that 
the  pope  could  absolve  an  oath  of  allegiance;  that  he  could  depose 
the  emperors — that  he  only  should  be  called  "  pope" — and  that  to 
him  alone  belonged  the  power  of  deciding  what  Scriptures  were  in- 
spired, and  of  making  them  canonical.  The  flatterers  of  these  men, 
who  style  themselves  "the  servants  of  the  servants  of  Jesus 
Christ,''  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  pope  can  dispense  with  the 
law  of  God  and  the  'gospel.  Bellarmine  says,  that  God  has  given 
him  power  to  cause  that  which  is  sin  to  be  no  sin,  and  that 
which  is  not  sinful  to  become  sinful.  That,  if  the  pope  should 
command  vice  and  forbid  virtue,  the  Church  should  be  obliged  to 
believe  that  vice  is  good,  and  virtue  criminal.  Stapleton,  among 
others,  asserts,  that,  'the  pope  is  not  simply  a  man,  but  a  god 
upon  the  earth."  The  pope  Martin  V.,  in  the  Council  of  Sienna, 
dared  to  style  himself,  "  Holy  and  blessed,  having  a  heavenly 
power,  being  Lord  upon  the  earth,  successor  of  Saint  Peter,  the 
anointed  of  the  Lord,  the  master  of  the  universe,  father  of  the 
kings,  light  of  the  world,  and  sovereign  pontiif."  True,  at  their 
will,  they  could  raise  innumerable  armies  to  shed  blood ;  the 
kings  were  nothing  more  than  the  vassals  of  the  papal  throne ; 
the  gold  and  silver  of  kingdoms  flowed  through  an  infinity  of 
streams,  and  went  to  be  engulfed  in  Rome,  as  in  a  bottomless  abyss; 
the  most  powerful  kings  were  trodden  under  foot,  and  their  crowns 
taken  away,  at  the  wdll  of  the  popes ;  but,  if  God  permitted  this 
abasement  of  the  kings,  to  punish  them  for  their  adulteries  with 
Jezebel  (2  :  20-22),  this  did  not  constitute  them  gods,  though  they 
had  usurped  the  power  of  God  over  the  minds  of  the  degraded 
people. 

As  soon  as  the  popes  had  the  sovereign  power,  the  Christian 
religion  was  entirely  filled  with  forms  and  ceremonies ;  the  papal 
court  became  the  rival  of  the  court  of  the  King  of  kings  ;  the 
abuses  were  sanctioned  by  laws,  and,  in  every  century,  new  abuses 
and  new  dogmas  were  invented  and  consecrated.  The  worship  of 
molten  images,  so  long  opposed  by  true  Christians,  who  were  then  per- 
secuted as  heretics,  under  the  name  of  "  Iconoclasts,"  was  at  last  sanc- 
tioned, in  councils  in  840  and  879.  The  famous  dogma  of  purga- 
tory was  taken  from  the  pagan  ritual,  and  the  people  were  taught 
that  the  elect  were  burning  there  in  a  fire  seven  and  even  ten  times 
hotter  than  the  elementary  fire,  until  they  have  entirely  expiated 
their  sins,  or  until  indulgences,  bought  with  money,  have  delivered 
them.  Thence  came  the  dogma  of  praying  for  the  dead  ;  of  saying 
masses,  and  selling  indulgences.     It  was  also  for  that  purpose  that 


104  COMMENTARY. 

the  feast  of  all  the  dead  was  instituted,  in  993,  though  the  fictions 
of  the  monks  place  its  institution  in  606.  Confession,  invented, 
in  627,  by  fifty-two  bishops,  for  the  monks  novices,  was  ordered, 
in  1215,  to  the  laymen,  as  the  way  to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  was  sanctioned  by  the  Council  of  Trent,  which  anathematizes 
those  who  should  deny  that  Jesus  Christ  imposed  this  yoke.  It  is 
no  longer  the  commemoration  of  Christ's  death,  which  is  made  in 
the  sacrament  of  the  Lord :  a  monk  of  Corbie,  Paschase  Radbert, 
thought  the  same  body  was  there  received,  which  was  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  suffered  for  us.  But,  then,  the  learned  Rantram 
published  a  tract,  in  which  we  find  these  remarkable  words  :  "  The 
sacraments  take  the  name  of  the  things  which  they  represent.  So 
it  is  said  that  they  are  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  because 
of  the  resemblance  to  the  things  which  they  represent.  The  sacra- 
ment is  called  the  body  of  Christ,  as  we  calK  passover,  and  ascen- 
sion, the  days  on  which  these  mysteries  are  celebrated."  This 
error  was  opposed  also  by  John  Scott,  and  by  Raban  Maure,  Bishop 
of  Mayence,  who  says,  among  other  things  :  "  Some  one  having 
imagined  that  in  the  sacrament  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord,  is 
found  the  same  body  and  blood  of  Christ  which  were  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  I  have  written  against  that  error,  and  shown  what 
must  be  believed  on  this  subject."  This  doctrine,  condemned  also 
by  the  Council  of  Cressi,  was  sanctioned,  in  the  Council  of  Lateran, 
in  1215,  to  which  Innocent  III.  dictated  that  "all  the  substance  of 
the  bread  is  transubstantiated  into  all  the  body,  and  the  wine  into 
all  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ."  Soon  after,  according  to  the  dream 
of  a  servant,  named  Juliana,  and  at  the  prayer  of  a  nun  of  Saint 
Martin  of  Liege,  named  Eve,  to  whom  the  Bull  was  dedicated  by 
the  pope  Urban  IV.,  a  special  holyday,  called  "Corpus  Christi  day," 
on  which  they  carry  in  triumph  this  god  of  dough,  which  they 
worship  and  eat,  was  ordered  to  be  celebrated,  every  year,  to  ex- 
piate the  outrages  which  Jesus  receives  in  this  august  sacrament. 

The  celibacy  of  the  priests  was  also  ordered,  in  1070  ;  and  the 
priests  of  Grcrmany  were  constrained,  notwithstanding  their  protes- 
tations, to  abandon  their  wives  and  children.  The  mass,  intro- 
duced in  420,  arrived  at  perfection  in  1090.  In  the  twelfth 
century,  the  dogma  of  the  immaculate  conception  began  to  be  dis- 
cussed. It  was,  at  this  time,  that  the  popes  used  their  full  power 
to  canonize  multitudes  of  saints,  to  which  they  assigned  festival 
days.  The  miraculous  lives  of  the  saints  were  mostly  taken  from 
Greek  and  Latin  fables.  Thus,  it  was  not  to  lose  the  feast  of 
Proserpine,  searching  for  her  daughter,  who  had  been  carried  off 
by  Pluton,  that  they  established  Cundlemas-day,  in  honor  of  Mary, 
the  mother  of  God.     In  proportion  as  the  new  Pantheon  of  Rome 


COMMENTARY.  105 

became  filled  with  gods  and  goddesses,  the  papal  court  was  also  filled 
with  new  dignitaries  of  the  Church. 

The  cardinals,  who,  at  first,  were  only  priests,  who  had  been 
stripped  by  the  Lombards  of  the  wealth  of  their  churches,  and  who 
were  admitted  (incardinatus),  into  the  diocese  of  Rome,  became,  in 
the  thirteenth  century,  '^  the  pivots  upon  which  turns  the  govern- 
ment of  the  universal  Church."  This  celestial  court  displayed, 
then,  an  oriental  magnificence,  and  to  sustain  it,  they  invented  all 
sorts  of  means  to  extort,  under  the  names  of  "  benefices,  reserves, 
annats,  dispensations,  &c.,"  the  riches  of  the  people,  who  were  under 
their  power.  The  impediments  to  marriage  were  first  extended 
to  the  seventh  generation ;  and  the  priest  was  always  ingenious 
enough  to  discover,  that  all  those  who  were  to  be  married,  were 
relatives;  and  consequently,  a  sum  of  money  was  exacted  for  dis- 
pensations. A  tarifi"  was  settled  and  approved  for  the  price  which 
should  be  paid  for  the  absolution  of  great,  middling,  and  little  sins. 
Not  contented  with  having  stripped  the  living,  they  found  means 
to  get  possession  of  the  effects  of  the  dead.  The  sacrament  of  ex- 
treme unction  had  no  other  end  than  to  secure  to  the  priests  free 
access  to  the  dying,  who  no  longer  care  about  worldly  posses- 
sions ;  and,  by  promising  them  heaven,  in  exchange  for  their  wealth, 
they  were  sure  to  obtain  from  them  rich  donations. 

They  had  even  the  presumption  to  sell  heaven  at  auction.  They 
preached  indulgences,  and  sold  them  for  crimes,  either  meditated 
or  committed,  asserting  that  money,  when  falling  into  their  coffers, 
liberated  souls  from  purgatory,  and  secured  them  access  to  heaven. 
The  people  had  become  children,  and  seemed  to  be  unable  to  shake 
off  the  yoke  under  which  they  were  enslaved.  But,  if  the  Prince 
of  the  covenant  of  grace  seems  to  abandon  men,  for  some  time,  to 
punish  them  for  their  iniquities,  he  will  come  again  to  extricate 
them  from  the  pit  which  they  have  dug  for  themselves.  For  that, 
he  made  use  of  an  obscure  monk,  Martin  Luther,  born  at  Isleben, 
in  the  county  of  Mansfeld  (Upper  Saxe),  and  professor  in  Wittem- 
berg.  Luther  opposed  the  shameful  traffic  of  indulgences,  in  1517. 
Pope  Leon  X.  fulminated  a  bull  against  him,  in  1520.  Luther 
dared  to  burn  it ;  and  thus  began  the  Keformation,  foretold  in  the 
chapter  which  we  have  now  to  examine. 

V.  1-4.  "  And  I  saw  another  mighty  angel  come  down  from  heaven, 
clothed  with  a  cloud;  and  a  rainbow  was  upon  his  head,  and  his  face  ivas  as 
it  were  the  sun,  and  his  feet  as  pillars  of  fire:  and  he  had  in  his  hand  a  little 
book  open:  and  he  set  his  right  foot  upon  the  sea,  and  his  left  foot  on  the 
earth,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  as  when  a  lion  roareth :  and  when  he  had 
cried,  seven  thunders  uttered  their  voices.  And  when  the  seven  thunders 
had  uttered  their  voices,  I  was  about  to  write :  and  I  heard  a  voice  from 


106  COMMENTARY. 

heaven  saying  unto  me :  Seal   v;p   those  things  wliich   the   seven   thunders 
uttered,  and  write  them  not."' 

This  mighty  angel,  coming  down  from  heaven,  is  Jesus  Christ 
himself.  "  He  is  clothed  with  a  cloud/'  because  the  decrees  of 
God  are  veiled  and  hidden  to  the  eyes  of  men.  The  rainbow, 
'^  which  is  upon  his  head''  reminds  us  that  he  is  the  angel  of  the 
eternal  covenant.  He  appears  here,  as  after  the  flood,  to  promise 
better  days  to  his  servants,  whom  he  will  never  abandon.  In  dis- 
tress, he  is  at  our  side ;  and  when  we  seek  after  him,  even  when 
we  have  committed  those  disgraceful  crimes,  which  the  world  never 
pardons,  he  is  waiting  for  us,  like  a  good  father,  for  his  prodigal 
son,  and  says  :  "  My  son,  here  I  am."  "  His  face  was  as  it  were 
the  sun,"  the  sun  of  righteousness,  which  enlightens  and  rejoices 
our  hearts;  but  his  feet  are  "  as  pillars  of  fire,"  as  a  consuming  fire 
for  his  enemies  in  the  day  of  his  vengeance. 

"  He  had  in  his  hand  a  little  book  open."  This  little  book  open, 
is  evidently  the  Bible,  the  emblem  of  the  great  Reformation  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  The  book  of  God  had  long  been  closed,  and  put 
aside  for  popish  decretals,  for  the  legends  of  saints,  and  for  the 
teachings  of  the  doctors  of  the  Middle  Age.  But  now,  at  the  time 
of  the  Reformation,  the  Bible  was  unchained,  and  translated  into 
common  languages.  Luther,  who  was  the  instrumentality  made 
use  of  to  open  it  before  the  eyes  of  all  men,  proclaimed  that  it  was 
by  the  words  written  in  that  book  that  we  shall  be  judged,  and  not 
by  the  arbitrary  laws  of  men.  It  is  a  little  book,  indeed,  if  it  is 
compared  with  all  the  books  of  men  !  But,  what  are  these  volu- 
minous books  of  men  in  comparison  with  this  one  ?  Men,  having 
misunderstood  its  vivifying  doctrines,  put  it  aside,  to  substitute  in 
its  stead  the  doctrines  which  were  the  fruit  of  their  thoughts  and 
imaginations;  and  their  wisdom  proved  to  be  but  folly,  and  an 
abyss  of  calamities.  But,  at  last,  the  Lord,  merciful  and  gracious, 
came  to  strip  the  false  prophet  of  his  usurped  power.  "  He  set 
his  right  foot  upon  the  sea  (the  civil  power :  Dan.  7  :  3),  and  his 
left  foot  on  the  earth  (the  miry  clay  mixed  with  the  iron,  that  is, 
the  papal  religion  united  with  the  civil  government :  Dan.  2  :  33- 
45),  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  as  when  a  lion  roareth."  We  see 
here,  a  beautiful  emblem  of  the  invisible  power  of  God,  as  it  was 
clearly  manifested  in  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  The  powerful 
Charles  the  Fifth,  united  with  the  Pope  and  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  tried  in  vain  to  put  it  down,  to  burn  the  monk,  Martin 
Luther,  who  was  like  a  roaring  lion  in  the  assembly  of  the  princes 
and  dignitaries  of  the  Roman  Church,  before  whom  he  had  been 
commanded  to  appear  at  AVorms.     The  threatenings  of  the  Pope 


COMMENTARY.  107 

and  of  the  Emperor  were  powerless ;  because  the  Lord  had  set  his 
right  foot  upon  the  Emperor,  and  his  left  upon  the  Pope.  The 
roaring  of  the  lion  gives  us  the  emblem  of  the  courage  and  power, 
with  which  the  Reformation  was  proclaimed,  and  carried  on,  not 
only  by  Luther,  but  also  by  all  the  Keformers,  Melancthon,  Zuingle, 
Earel,  and  Calvin.  They  were  not  afraid  of  the  papal  anathemas, 
called  in  French  "  Foudres  du  Vatican,''  to  which  the  prophet 
makes  evidently  allusion,  when  he  says  that  "seven  thunders 
uttered  their  voices.''  The  Papal  curses  are  designated  as  the 
seven  thunders,  because  all  the  persecutions  in  the  seven  periods 
of  the  Church,  have  been  the  work  of  Rome,  either  pagan  or 
papal.  It  is  always  the  same  thunder,  or  curse  )  but  it  is  said  that 
they  are  seven,  for  the  seven  ages  of  the  Church. 

"  When  the  seven  thunders  had  uttered  their  voices,  I  was 
about  to  write  :  and  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me, 
Seal  up  those  things  which  the  seven  thunders  uttered,  and  write 
them  not."  The  prophet  was  about  to  write  in  the  prophecy,  to 
take  notice  of  the  bull  of  excommunication,  or  anathemas  of  the 
papal  court,  against  Luther,  and  all  the  Reformers ;  but  he  heard 
a  voice  from  heaven  telling  him  '^  to  seal  up,"  to  keep  secret  these 
curses,  ''and  write  them  not;"  do  not  mind  them;  for  they  shall 
be  of  no  eifect.  Luther  will  mock  at  them,  and  make  bonfires  with 
them.  How  admirable  is  the  word  of  God  !  How  fair  a  picture 
of  what  was  done  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation  !  The  kings 
themselves  refused  to  publish  the  bull  of  excommunication  of  the 
Pope ;  the  orders  of  the  Vatican  were  not  obeyed ;  and  thus  the 
things  uttered  by  the  papal  thunders  were  sealed  up.  Luther  did 
not  mind  them;  for  God  had  given  him  a  heart  and  a  voice  to  roar 
like  a  lion.  And  it  shall  not  be  as  with  John  Huss,  and  Jerome 
of  Prague.  The  opposition  'of  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
vain ;  his  word  shall  be  proclaimed,  and  one  hair  shall  not  fall  from 
the  head  of  his  servant,  Martin  Luther. 

V.  5-7.  "  And  the  angel  which  I  saw  stand  upon  the  sea,  and  upon  the 
earth,  lifted  up  his  hand  to  heaven,  and  swore  by  him  that  liveth  forever  and 
ever,  who  created  heaven,  and  the  things  that  therein  are,  and  the  earth,  and 
the  things  that  therein  are,  and  the  sea.  and  the  things  which  are  therein,  that 
there  should  be  time  no  longer ;  but  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh 
angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to  sound,  the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished, 
as  he  has  declared  to  his  servants  the  prophets." 

We  have  here  a  solemn  oath,  in  the  name  of  the  Almighty,  by 
which  the  angel  asserts  either  that  the  Reformation,  undertaken 
by  Luther,  shall  no  longer  be  delayed,  as  in  the  time  of  John  Huss  ; 
or  rather,  as  it  is  clearly  indicated  by  the  following  verse,  that 


108  COMMENTARY. 

^^  tliere  shall  not  be  a  time/'  that  is,  860  years,  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  popery.  This  translation  of  the  Greek  "  clironos  oulceti 
estai,"  seems  to  be  preferable,  though  ^'  chronos''  instead  of 
^'  Jcairos"  be  made  use  of,  for  the  following  words,  "  But  in  the 
days  of  the  voice  of  the  seventh  angel,  when  he  shall  begin  to 
sound,  the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished,  as  he  hath  declared 
to  his  servants  the  prophets.''  The  first  meaning,  "  there  shall  be 
no  longer  any  delay,"  agrees  very  well  with  what  precedes,  to 
signify  that  the  Reformation  shall  no  longer  be  delayed ;  but  it 
cannot  agree  with  what  follows,  viz.,  "the  mystery  of  God,'^  which 
shall  be  ''finished"  at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet;  that  is, 
the  mystery  of  iniquity,  spoken  of  by  St.  Paul  (2  Th.  2  :  3-10), 
the  great  apostacy  of  the  man  of  sin,  the  great  Antichrist,  shall  be 
finished,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  set  up,  as  he  hath  de- 
clared by  his  servants  the  prophets  (Dan.  2  :  44 ;  7  :  26-27),  before 
^'  a  time,"  which  according  to  the  prophetic  style,  makes  360  years, 
should  be  accomplished,  in  reckoning  from  the  moment  of  this 
solemn  Reformation.  Now,  if  such  be  the  meaning  of  these  words, 
"  oti  chronos  oulceti  estai," — and  the  following  words  show  necessa- 
rily that  it  is  so — the  mj'stery  of  popery  treading  under  foot  the 
holy  city,  shall  be  finished  before  1877,  which  is  the  sum  of  1517, 
the  epoch  of  the  Reformation,  and  of  360,  the  number  indicated 
by  a  prophetic  ''  time." 

V.  8-10.  "And. the  voice  which  I  heard  from  heaven  spake  unto  me  again, 
and  said,  Go  and  take  the  little  book  which  is  open  in  the  hand  of  the  angel 
which  standeth  upon  the  sea  and  upon  the  earth.  And  I  went  unto  the 
angel,  and  said  unto  him,  Give  me  the  little  book.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
Take  ii,  and  eat  it  up;  and  it  shall  make  thy  belly  bitter,  but  it  shall  be  in 
thy  mouth  sweet  as  honey.  And  I  took  the  little  book  out  of  the  angel's 
hand  and  ate  it  up;  and  it  was  in  my  mouth  sweet ^as  honey:  and  as  soon 
as  I  had  eaten  it,  my  belly  was  bitter." 

This  little  book,  the  Bible,  so  long  closed  during  the  Dark  Ages, 
is  now  open.  We  are  invited,  as  well  as  the  prophet,  to  take  the 
little  book,  to  search  the  Scriptures,  and  to  receive  from  its  words 
our  daily  spiritual  food.  But,  unless  the  Holy  Ghost  open  our 
eyes  and  renew  our  hearts,  we  cannot  know  how  sweet  it  is  in  the 
mouth.  It  is  sweeter  than  honey  and  honeycomb,  says  David,  and 
more  precious  than  pure  gold  and  rubies ;  but  it  is  a  book  closed 
for  worldly  men,  however  learned  they  may  be  in  other  respects. 
Their  eyes  cannot  be  enlightened  by  the  light  which  it  sheds ;  their 
hearts  cannot  enjoy  the  peace  which  it  gives  to  repentant  sinners; 
nor  can  they  conceive  the  hopes,  Avhich  the  soul,  acquainted  with 
the  vanities  of  the  world,  derives  from  its  heavenly  teachings.  To 
appreciate  this  book,  it  is  not  enough  to  read  it;  we  must  ''  eat  it 


COMMENTARY.  109 

up ;"  we  must  thirst  to  come  to  the  living  waters  that  we  may  be 
satisfied.  Mark  the  expression^  made  use  of  by  the  prophet !  He 
does  not  say,  "Eead  this  book;"  but,  "eat  it  up.''  It  is  in  this 
manner  that  Jesus  does  not  say  to  meditate  upon  the  adorable 
mysteries  of  his  birth  and  death  ;  but  he  says,  "  Except  ye  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  his  blood,  ye  have  no  life  in 
you."  A  cold  and  weak  reader  of  this  book  is  unable  to  feel  the 
delights  of  the  word  of  God  ;  the  book  is  yet  closed  for  him,  as  for 
a  man  who  cannot  read. 

But  how  this  little  book,  sweet  in  the  mouth  as  honey,  could  be, 
at  the  same  time,  bitter  in  the  belly  !  It  was  by  the  persecutions, 
which  the  devil  excited  against  Christians.  If  it  was  delightful 
for  the  Reformers  and  their  followers  to  possess  this  book,  to  search 
out  the  eternal  truths,  and  find  there  the  condemnation  of  the 
popish  errors,  by  which  they  had  been  long  enslaved,  their  lives 
were  not  exempt  from  bitterness ;  they  were  surrounded  with  cruel 
enemies ;  they  were  stripped  of  all  they  possessed  ;  they  were  torn 
from  the  bosom  of  their  families,  and  abandoned  to  the  tortures  of 
the  Inquisition,  and  burnt  at  the  stake ;  so,  this  book  so  sweet  in 
the  mouth  for  its  heavenly  teachings,  was  bitter  in  the  belly  for 
millions  who  died  for  the  testimony  of  this  book.  In  the  eyes  of 
men,  they  were  looked  upon  as  madmen  for  losing  everything  they 
possessed,  and  life  itself,  for  this  book,  rather  than  obey  the  teach- 
ings of  men  ;  but  they  were  wise  before  God ;  they  had  found  the 
pearl  of  great  price  in  this  book,  and  v>-ere  glad  to  sell  all  they  had, 
to  buy  the  field  in  which  this  treasure  was  hid.  Those  alone  who 
have  been  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  can  appreciate  the  word 
of  God,  and  abjure  a  religion  invented  by  men  to  embrace  that  of 
the  gospel  (see  the  letter  to  the  Church  in  Philadelphia,  3  :  7—13). 

V.  11.  "And  he  said  unto  me,  Thou  must  prophesy  again  before  many 
peoples,  and  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kings." 

We  see  from  this  verse  that  the  course  of  the  events  is  inter- 
rupted to  prophesy  again  before  many  peoples,  and  nations,  and 
tongues,  and  kings ;  that  is,  before  the  ten  barbarian  peoples  of  dif- 
ferent tongues,  who,  after  having  destroyed  the  Roman  pagan 
empire,  raised  up  out  of  its  ruins  ten  kingdoms,  which  have  been 
subjected  to  the  same  head,  the  pope,  who  may  be  looked  upon  as 
the  emperor  of  this  new  empire,  the  image  of  the  first.  Until  now, 
the  prophet  has  followed  the  course  of  the  events  from  the  civil 
wars  of  the  Roman  Empire  to  the  time  of  the  Reformation.  And, 
as  the  prophet  has,  now,  to  speak  of  a  new  state  of  things — of  the 
papal  persecutions,  of  the  progress  of  Protestantism,  and  of  the  de- 
struction of  popery  and  of  the  kings,  its  supporters — the  prophet 

10 


110  COMMENTARY. 

receives  here  the  order  to  leave  off  the  course  of  events,  which  he 
shall  resume  in  the  fourteenth  chapter,  to  explain  what  was  the  con- 
dition of  the  Church  from  the  time  of  the  overthrow  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  and  how  it  was  that  the  Christians  were  so  long  crushed 
down  under  foot  by  their  enemies.  Therefore,  the  three  following 
chapters  are  like  an  episode,  or  digression,  to  explain  how  it  is  that 
the  little  book  is  bitter  in  the  belly ;  and  the  prophet,  after  having 
shown  how  Satan  succeeded  in  setting  up  popery  to  destroy  Chris- 
tianity, will  continue  to  explain  the  progress  of  the  Reformation,  in 
the  fourteenth  chapter,  as  it  may  be  proved  by  the  words,  "  And 
T  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  ever- 
lasting gospel"  (14  :  6). 


CHAPTER    XL 

THE    TWO   WITNESSES THEIR   DEATH  AND   RESURRECTION ENG- 
LAND  BECOMES   PROTESTANT FRENCH    REVOLUTION    IN    1792. 

It  seems  that  the  prophet  should  go  on  explaining  the  progress 
of  the  Reformation ;  but,  as  he  has  to  speak,  at  the  same  time,  of 
the  destruction  of  the  papal  league  with  Satan  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth  against  Protestantism,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  show, 
by  a  digression,  as  would  do  the  most  faithful  historian,  how  it 
was  that  the  antichristian  Roman  Empire  arose  out  of  its  ruins, 
after  having  been  destroyed  by  ten  barbarian  peoples.  Therefore, 
he  resumes  the  history  of  the  Church  up  to  the  time,  when  Chris- 
tian Churches,  freed  from  the  yoke  of  the  heathens  and  enriched 
by  the  favors  of  the  emperors,  abandoned  the  simplicity  and  purity 
of  the  gospel,  to  introduce  into  the  Church  strange  doctrines  and 
worship.  Hence  originated  the  enmity  of  the  nominal  Christians 
against  the  true  Church  of  God, — the  crusades  of  popery  against 
Protestantism. 

True  Christians,  as  well  as  the  temple  and  the  altar  wherein 
they  worship,  are  measured  by  the  word  of  God,  as  by  a  reed  or 
yard,  to  test  whether  they  are  sound  in  faith  and  worship;  but 
nominal  Christians  have  no  word  of  God  to  be  measured  by  :  they 
are  but  Gentiles,  pagans,  to  whom  the  court,  which  is  without  the 
temple,  is  given,  without  test  of  their  faith  and  worship ;  and  the 
holy  city  (the  true  Church)  shall  they  tread  under  foot  1260  years ; 
verses  1,  2. 


COMMENTARY.  Ill 

True  Christians  are  but  like  two  witnesses,  bearing  testimony  to 
the  word  of  God,  and  charging  nominal  Christians  with  apostacy 
from  the  faith.  They  are  to  be,  like  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel,  the 
lights  of  the  world,  during  the  time  of  this  great  apostacy,  and 
the  restorers  of  the  spiritual  temple  of  God.  They  are  clothed 
with  all  power  to  avenge  themselves  from  the  persecutions  of  their 
enemies;  verses  3-6  (see  the  description  of  the  holy  city,  21  :  10- 
27). 

When  they  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  they  shall  be 
killed;  and  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  «nburied  in  the  streets  of  the 
great  city  of  Home,  in  France,  Piedmont,  and  England,  three  da^^s 
and  a  half  (three  years  and  a  half)  at  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  by  Louis  XIV.;  verses  7-10. 

After  this  persecution,  the  witnesses  rise  up  and  ascend  up  to 
heaven,  that  is,  to  the  throne  of  England ;  and  by  this  revolution, 
indicated  by  an  earthquake,  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  (England, 
one  of  the  ten  kingdoms  subjected  to  popery)  fell  from  popery, 
and  turned  Protestant;  verses  11-13. 

The  second  woe  is  past ;  the  Turks  shall  no  longer  be  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  scourges  of  God.  But  the  third  woe, — the  French 
Revolution  of  1792, — cometh  quickly,  at  the  sounding  of  the 
seventh  trumpet,  in  which  are  contained  the  seven  vials  of  the 
wrath  of  God,  and  by  which  the  "dead,'^  that  is,  the  nominal 
Christians,  shall  be  judged,  and  the  papal  league  destroyed,  that  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  should  be  the  Lord's ;  verses  14-19. 

Before  explaining  the  seven  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  we 
shall  find  in  the  sixteenth  chapter,  according  to  the  order  which  these 
calamities  occupy  in  history,  the  prophet  answers  this  question,  which 
occurs  naturally  to  our  minds  :  ^'  How  is  it  that  the  two  witnesses  com- 
posing the  true  Church  of  Christ,  have  been  so  long  trodden  under 
foot  by  an  apostate  church,  and  how  was  this  papal  league  against 
Christianity  accomplished  ?"  He  answers,  that  it  was  the  work  of 
Satan,  and  shows  what  was  his  opposition  to  Christianity  during 
the  first  three  centuries, — what  was  his  fury,  when  he  was  cast  out 
of  the  temples  with  his  angels,  after  the  victories  of  Constantine 
over  the  supporters  of  Paganism, — how  he  destroyed  the  Roman 
Empire  by  casting  out  of  his  mouth  (Paganism)  barbarians,  as 
waters,  over  this  empire,  supposing  that  the  conquerors  would 
oblige  the  conquered  to  take  their  laws,  and  gods,  and  worship, 
and  destroy  Christianity  in  this  manner, — how  he  was  wroth  with 
the  Church,  when  these  barbarians,  instead  of  destroying  Chris- 
tianity, were  registered  among  the  nominal  Christians,  ^nd  left 
thus  true  Christians  the  opportunity  of  professing  the  Christian 
religion,  which  was  revered  by  the  barbarians  themselves, — and 


112  COMMENTARY. 

how,  after  having  been  thus  defeated,  he  raised  up  out  of  its  ruins 
the  Roman  pagan  Empire,  or  an  image  of  it,  by  uniting  together 
the  civil  power  with  the  apostate  church,  whose  chief  had  power 
to  exercise  the  authority  of  the  kings  before  them,  and  had  power 
not  only  to  teach  his  pagan  religion,  but  yet  to  cause  that  as  many 
as  would  not  submit  themselves  to  his  power  and  profess  his  reli- 
gion, should  be  killed.  Such  is  the  subject  of  this  digression, 
whose  emblematic  language  we  are  now  to  examine  in  a  more 
minute  manner. 

V.  1-3.  "  And  there  was  given  me  a  reed  like  unto  a  rod :  and  the  angel 
stood,  saying,  Rise,  and  measure  the  temple  of  God,  and  the  altar,  and  them 
that  worship  therein.  But  the  court  which  is  without  the  temple  leave  out, 
and  measure  it  not ;  for  it  is  given  unto  the  Gentiles :  and  the  holy  city  shall 
they  tread  under  foot  forty  a7id  two  months.  And  I  will  give  power  unto 
my  two  witnesses,  and  they  shall  prophesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and 
threescore  days,  clothed  in  sackcloth." 

The  temple,  being  the  figure  of  the  Church,  and  Jesus  Christ 
being  the  altar,  upon  which  the  Church  oifers  up  her  sacrifices ;  to 
measure  those  who  worship  therein  signifies,  that  those  who  belong 
to  the  true  Church,  shall  be  examined  and  judged  by  the  word  of 
God,  which  is  this  reed,  or  fathom,  by  which  they  are  measured ; 
and  that  those  alone  are  Christians  who  worship  in  the  temple,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  who  is  the  altar  upon  which  the  people  of  God 
are  permitted  to  offer  their  sacrifices.  Those  who  do  not  worship, 
according  to  the  word  of  God,  in  his  temple  and  at  the  altar  built 
up  by  God,  are  but  nominal  Christians.  They  are  out  of  the 
temple  with  idolaters.  Nevertheless,  they  shall  take  to  them- 
selves alone  the  Christian  name ;  they  shall  invade  the  temple  of 
God,  and  hold  all  the  ecclesiastical  offices,  during  1260  years; 
whilst  true  Christians,  who  shall  be  only  as  two  witnesses  against 
a  multitude,  shall  prophesy,  clothed  in  sackcloth  and  afflicted,  at 
seeing  the  city  of  God  invaded  by  the  Gentiles  and  polluted  by 
idolatry. 

Mark  that  the  prophet  makes  use  of  different  emblems  to  desig- 
nate the  same  number;  when  he  speaks  either  of  nominal  Christians, 
of  idolaters,  or  of  true  worshippers.  In  the  first  case,  the  1260 
years  are  designated  by  ^^ forty-two  months;"  that  is,  by  the  course 
of  the  moon,  which  overrules  the  night;  because  these  nominal 
Christians  live  in  the  darkness  of  Paganism,  of  which  the  moon  is 
the  emblem.  In  the  second  case,  the  same  number  is  indicated  by 
"  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  threescore  days,'^  according  to  the 
couise  of  the  sun ;  because  true  worshippers  are  children  of  light, 
and  there  is  no  dai*kness  in  them. 


COMMENTARY.  118 

These  verses  synchronize  evidently  with  the  seventh  chapter,  in 
which  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  servants  of  God 
have  been  sealed ;  and  we  shall  fix  very  soon  the  epoch,  in  which 
the  two  witnesses  began  to  protest  against  the '  errors,  which  were 
introduced  into  the  Church. 

V.  4-6.  "  These  are  the  two  olive  trees,  and  the  two  candlesticks  standing 
before  the  God  of  the  earth.  And  if  any  man  will  hurt  them,  fire  proceedeth 
out  of  their  mouth,  and  devoureth  their  enemies :  and  if  any  man  will  hurt 
them,  he  must  in  this  manner  be  killed.  These  have  power  to  shut  heaven, 
that  it  rain  not  in  the  days  of  their  prophecy :  and  have  power  over  waters 
to  turn  them  to  blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all  plagues,  as  often  as 
they  will.". 

The  two  restorers  of  the  Jewish  Church,  after  the  captivity  of 
Babylon,  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel,  are  represented  by  the  prophet 
Zechariah  (ch.  4),  under  the  emblem  of  two  olive  trees ;  in  the 
same  manner  the  two  witnesses  are  represented  under  the  same 
emblem,  to  show  that  they  shall  be,  like  these  two  men  of  God,  full 
of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whose  gifts  are  represented  under 
the  emblem  of  oil,  in  order  that  the  two  witnesses  should  be  like 
burning  lights,  to  enlighten  those  who  shall  live  in  the  darkness  of 
this  unfortunate  age,  and  to  restore,  at  the  appointed  time,  the  true 
Church  of  God.  1.  "If  any  man  will  hurt  them,^'  because  they  bear 
witness  to  the  word  of  God,  "  fire  proceedeth  out  of  their  mouth,'' 
at  their  request,  as  at  the  order  of  Elijah  (2  Kings  1  :  10-12), 
"  and  devoureth  their  enemies ;"  for  the  blood  of  the  elect  of  the 
Lord  shall  not  be  shed  with  impunity :  God  will  be  their  avenger. 
2.  "  These  have  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  it  rain  not  in  the 
days  of  their  prophecy,"  that  is,  they  have,  like  Elijah  (1  K.  18), 
and  Elisha,  the  power  to  shut  heaven,  that  no  man  should  under- 
stand the  consoling  doctrines  of  the  grace  of  God,  which,  like  a 
heavenly  dew,  refresh  the  soul  and  prepare  it  to  inherit  eternal  life. 
The  Roman  Church  may  boast  of  many  learned  men,  who  have 
written  many  large  volumes  about  religion ;  but  their  writings,  de- 
prived of  the  living  streams  of  the  grace  of  God,  are  but  empty 
clouds  or  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no  water.  3.  Not  only 
have  these  two  witnesses  the  power  that  Elijah  and  Elisha  had  ; 
but  they  have  still,  like  Moses,  "  power  over  waters  to  turn  them  to 
blood,  and  to  smite  the  earth  with  all  plagues,  as  often  as  they 
will."  The  waters  are  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and 
tongues,  upon  which  the  great  whore  sitteth  (17  :  15),  and  the 
"earth"  is  the  emblem  of  the  papal  religion.  Therefore,  the  blood 
of  these  peoples  and  nations  is  shed,  and  the  papal  countries  are 
smitten,  at  the  will  of  the  two  witnesses.     So  it  was  that  the  Bohe- 

10-- 


114  COMMENTARY. 

mians,  to  avenge  the  blood  of  Jolin  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague, 
destroyed  tlie  papal  armies,  which  were  sent  against  them, — that 
Louis  XVI.  was  beheaded,  with  many  noblemen  and  priests,  in 
1792  and  1793,  to  avenge  the  blood  of  the  witnesses,  shed  by  the 
dragoonings  of  his  great  grandfather,  Louis  XIV. — that  torrents  of 
blood  were  shed  by  Napoleon,  and  especially  in  the  battles  of 
Montenotte  and  Marengo,  at  the  foot  of  the  same  mountains,  where 
the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  the  Waldenses,  had  been  hunted  and 
destroyed  (see  16  :  5-7,  where  the  bloody  battles  of  Montenotte 
and  Marengo,  are  evidently  alluded  to).  Grod  is  of  long  forbear- 
ance, but  finally  he  will  punish ;  and  the  great  Napoleon  was  the 
scourge,  by  which  the  papal  kingdoms  were  smitten  with  plagues, 
to  avenge  the  blood  of  millions  of  his  saints,  which  they  had  shed 
on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  and  in  all  their  crusades  against  them. 

V.  7-10.  "And  when  they  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  the  beast 
that  ascendeth  out  of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war  against  them,  and 
shall  overcome  them,  and  kill  them.  And  their  dead  bodies  shall  lie  in  the 
street  of  the  great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called  Sodom  and  Egypt,  where 
also  our  Lord  was  crucified.  And  they  of  the  people,  and  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  and  nations,  shall  see  their  dead  bodies  three  days  and  an  half,  and 
shall  not  suffer  their  dead  bodies  to  be  put  in  graves.  And  they  that  dwell 
upon  tlie  earth  shall  rejoice  over  them,  and  make  merry,  and  shall  send  gifts 
one  to  another ;  because  these  two  prophets  tormented  them  that  dwelt  upon 
the  earth." 

We  shall  see,  in  the  following  verses,  the  precise  time  when  the 
witnesses  finished  their  testimony.  We  must  inquire  here  who  are 
these  two  witnesses, — what  is  the  beast  that  ascendeth  out  of  the 
bottomless  pit — what  is  the  great  city,  which  spiritually  is  called 
Sodom  and  Egypt, — and  how  it  was  that  these  two  prophets  tor- 
mented them  that  dwelt  on  the  earth,  that  is,  who  had  all  power 
granted  them  by  the  papal  religion,  the  miry  clay  of  the  great  image 
of  Nebuchadnezzar  (Dan.  2  :  31-45). 

1.  Who  were  the  witnesses  ?  As,  in  the  prophetic  style,  a  king 
represents  ordinarily  a  succession  of  monarchs,  or  a  form  of  govern- 
ment, a  witness  must  also  represent,  not  one  single  individual,  but 
a  succession  of  men,  who,  during  the  specified  time,  bear  witness 
to  the  truth.  Perhaps  the  prophet  makes  mention  of  two  witnesses, 
only  because  one  witness  is  not  sufiicient  to  prove  a  fact,  according 
to  justice  (Deut.  17  :  2-7).  But  it  is  more  probable,  that  these 
witnesses  are :  1.  The  Albigenses  and  Waldenses,  as  primitive 
Christians,  having  preserved  faith  in  its  purity.  2.  The  lleformed 
Christians,  who,  by  abandoning  the  popish  errors,  bear  witness  to 
the  truth,  and  condemn  those,  who  continue  in  the  same  errors. 


COMMENTARY.  115 

The  two  witnesses  are  the  "two  breasts"  (churches),  built  upon  the 
wall  (Gentiles)  to  surround  the  holy  city,  Jerusalem,  that  is, 
Christianity  during  the  Middle  Age,  to  the  setting  up  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  (Song  8  :  10.  See  the  description  of  the  wall,  21  :  10- 
19). 

We  have  an  evident  proof,  as  it  shall  be  shown  hereafter  (16  : 4 
-7),  that  the  Waldenses  are  reckoned  among  the  faithful  Christians, 
who  are  called  witnesses ;  for  an  angel  declares  that  "  they  have 
shed  the  blood  of  saints  and  prophets,"  in  the  very  mountains  in- 
habited by  the  Waldenses.  Again,  the  facts,  which  we  shall  have 
to  expose  in  the  following  verses,  prove  that  the  Protestants  are 
also  reckoned  among  the  witnesses.  Therefore,  if  the  prophet 
means  to  designate  by  the  two  witnesses,  not  a  succession  of  true 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  servants  of  a  different  origin,  these 
witnesses  are  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses,  as  Primitive  Chris- 
tians, and  the  Protestants,  as  Reformed  Churches  from  popery. 

We  know  that  to  these  primitive  Christians,  the  Albigenses  espe- 
cially, have  been  given  the  titles  of  ''  heretics"  and  "  Manicheans;" 
but  we  know  also  that  it  has  been  the  old  practice  of  the  papist 
votaries  to  asperse  the  character  of  those  they  wished  to  destroy, 
and  that  they  had  always  at  hand  a  hundred  and  one  crimes  to  im- 
pute to  them,  in  order  that  they  should  be  made  their  easy  victims. 
The  infidel  Gibbon  vindicates  the  Paulicians*  or  Albigenses  from 
the  imputations  of  heresy,  saying  that  in  the  state,  in  the  Church, 
and  even  in  the  cloisters,  there  was  a  secret  succession  of  disciples 
of  Paul,  who  protested  against  the  papal  tyranny,  held  the  Bible 
as  the  rule  of  faith,  and  purged  their  belief  from  all  the  visions  of 
the  Gnostics'  theology. 

The  Pope  Innocent  VIII.,  having  sent  one  of  his  legates  among 
the  Waldenses  and  the  rest  of  the  Albigenses,  with  instructions 
to  engage  the  King  Louis  XII.  to  destroy  them  entirely  in  his  do- 

*  About  the  end  of  the  seventh  century,  Greek  Christians,  who  refused  to 
embrace  the  new  doctrines,  introduced  into  the  Church,  were  mistaken  for 
Paulicians,  accused  to  be  Manicheans,  though,  according  to  Photius,  they 
abhorred  Manes  and  his  doctrines.  Consequently,  when  the  persecution  was 
excited  against  the  Paulicians,  these  Greek  Christians  were  obliged  to  aban- 
don their  country,  and  came  to  settle,  some  in  Italy,  where  they  were  called 
"  Patarini,"  from  the  name  of  the  place,  called  "  Pataria,"  in  the  city  of 
Milan  ;  the  others  settled  in  the  surrounding  country  of  Marseilles  in  France, 
where  they  preserved  the  Greek  liturgy,  even  a  long  time  after  Charlemagne 
had  obliged  all  the  churches  to  make  use  of  the  Latin  ritual.  Hence  the 
Albigenses  were  charged  with  the  errors  of  the  Manicheans,  though  the  con- 
trary was  proved  by  the  report  of  the  monks  themselves,  about  the  condem- 
nation of  those  who  were  burnt  in  Orleans,  in  1017,  and  who  declared  that 
they  had  been  taught  their  errors  by  colporters  sent  by  the  Albigenses. 


116  COMMENTARY. 

minions,  without  even  listening  to  the  deputies,  who  might  be  sent 
to  him,  this  king  answered  in  a  manner  which  does  him  honor  : 
"  Had  I  to  make  war,"  he  said,  ''  with  the  Turk  or  with  the  Devil,  I 
would  listen  to  what  he  could  have  to  say  in  his  favor."  Conse- 
quently, the  TValdenses  addressed  their  justification  to  the  king; 
and  commissaries  were  sent  to  examine  what  was  the  state  of 
things  among  them.  Here  is  the  report,  as  it  is  given  by  history : 
"  Having  made  a  strict  inquiry  about  their  manner  of  living,  we 
could  not  find  the  least  shadow  of  the  crimes  which  are  imputed 
to  them.  On  the  contrary,  it  seems  that  they  keep  religiously  the 
Sabbath  day,  that  they  baptize  their  children  according  to  the 
practice  of  the  Primitive  Church,  and  that  they  are  thoroughly  in- 
structed with  the  doctrines  of  the  creed  of  the  apostles,  and  in  the 
law  of  God." 

In  hearing  this  report,  the  king  said  with  anger  to  the  pope's 
legate :  "  By  the  holy  mother  of  God,  these  heretics,  whom  you 
urge  me  to  destroy,  are  better  men  than  you  and  myself."  Soon 
after,  Louis  XII.  died,  and  every  one  knows  how  much  they  had 
to  sufi'er  hereafter.  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  ordered  a  crusade 
against  them  in  1655;  the  inquisitors,  the  monks,  and  the  priests, 
were  ordered  "  to  exterminate  them  holily,  and  to  crush  them  like 
asps;"  the  magistrates,  under  peril  of  losing  their  dignities,  were 
obliged  to  sustain  the  inquisitors,  to  whom  the  command  of  the 
crusade  was  intrusted.  The  Marquis  of  Pianesse  penetrated  into 
their  villages,  at  the  head  of  two  regiments  commanded  by  monks  ; 
they  pursued  the  Waldenses  from  cavern  to. cavern;  they  hung  the 
women,  naked,  upon  trees,  and  sprinkled  them  with  the  blood  of 
their  children. 

Again,  in  July,  1685,  Louis  XIV.  revoked  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
in  exclaiming  :  ''  There  are  Protestants  no  longer  !"  He  succeeded 
in  engaging  the  Duke  of  Savoy  to  join  his  troops  to  those  of  France 
to  exterminate  the  rest  of  the  Waldenses,  and  to  destroy  entirely 
their  churches.  As  soon  as  Louis  XIV.  had  given  the  Protes- 
tants the  order  either  to  leave  France  or  to  turn  papists,  from  six 
to  seven  hundred  thousand  Protestants  chose  to  abandon  every- 
thing in  their  country  rather  than  comply  with  popery.  Then, 
new  orders  prevented  them  from  leaving  France ;  but  dragoons 
were  sent  to  take  possession  of  their  houses,  to  oppress  them  by 
tyranny,  until  they  should  comply  with  popery,  or  be  ruined  and 
utterly  destroyed. 

This  persecution  of  Louis  XIV.,  at  the  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  was  a  calamity  for,  France.  And,  as  historians  reprove 
bitterly  the  conduct  of  this  king,  and  the  fanaticism  of  the  Roman 
Church  for  that  persecution,  a  bisliop,  the  Abbot  Frayssinous,  at- 


COMMENTARY.  117 

tempts  to  vindicate  them  from  the  accusation  of  fanaticism,  in  a 
discourse  entitled  ''  Religion  vindicated  from  the  reproach  of  fana- 
ticism/' in  which  he  says  :  "AH  ranks  of  the  kingdom  congratu- 
lated Louis  XIY.  on  having  revoked  the  Edict  of  Nantes  ;  because 
it  was  necessary  to  annihilate  the  Protestant  party,  which  desired 
to  form  a  republic,  to  raise  up  its  churches  and  obtain  its  former 
privileges.  Louis  XIV.  yielded  to  the  general  wishes  of  the 
nation  ;  it  was  supposed  that  they  would  be  restrained  by  fear  and 
prevailed  upon  by  persuasion."  So,  we  have  from  the  pen  of  a 
popish  bishop  the  illustration  of  these  words  of  the  prophet :  "And 
they  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  (those  who  are  powerful  by  the 
favors  of  popery)  shall  rejoice  over  them,  and  make  merry,  and 
shall  send  gifts  one  to  another;  because  these  two  prophets 
tormented  them  that  dwelt  on  the  earth,"  in  condemning  their 
errors  and  idolatry. 

Charles  "Weiss,  in  his  history  of  the  French  Protestant  Refugees, 
says  on  that  subject :  Let  us  now  see,  not  merely  what  the  great 
authorities  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  but  what  the  great  lights  of  the 
French  nation,  the  most  illustrious  men  of  France,  who  hold  the 
highest  place  among  her  sons  in  learning,  literature,  eloquence,  and 
philosophy,  who  are  yet  unsurpassed,  and  one  of  them  unap- 
proached,  in  all  the  gifts  of  intellect,  the  purest  and  brightest 
names  to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  Romanism,  the  undimmed  glory 
still  of  the  French  language,  and  justly  and  highly  admired  for 
their  genius  wherever  their  works  are  known ;  the  most  moral,  the 
most  enlightened  and  most  favorable  representatives  of  popery  that 
all  history  can  furnish ;  let  us  see  now  what  these  renowned  per- 
sons thought  of  the  hideous  immoralities  and  cinielties  of  the  per- 
secution, of  which  we  have  given  so  brief  a  sketch ;  of  the  great 
achievement  of  the  grand  monarch  ;  and  then,  let  us  ask  ourselves, 
"  Are  our  Wisemans,  and  Newmans,  and  Irish  bishops,  more 
enlightened,  more  tolerant,  and  more  Christian  in  spirit  than  were 
Massillon,  Flechier,  Bourdaloue,  Arnault,  and  Bossuet,*  in  the 
time  of  Louis  XIV.  ?  and  if  not,  or,  if  they  fall  short  of,  instead  of 
reaching,  the  stature,  in  these  respects,  of  their  predecessors  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  how  can  we  say,  as  we  are  apt  to  say,  that 
popery  has  changed  its  character?" 

Our  first  extract,  with  the  purpose  in  view,  shall  be  from  the 
letters  of  Madame  de  Sevigne,  that  perfect  female  creation  of 
French  society,  whose  exquisite  sense,  taste,  wit,  and  judgment  in 

*  It  is  somewhat  consoling  and  cheering  to  find  both  Pascal  and  Fenelon, 
the  only  two  real  Christians  that  we  can  recollect  among  the  illustrious  men 
of  the  Church  of  Rome,  quite  silent,  perfectly  dumb,  on  the  subject  of  the 
Huguenot  persecution. 


118  COMMENTARY. 

all  tilings  pertaining  to  a  court-world,  made  her  the  most  amiable 
of  the  amiable  in  that  world.  AVriting  to  her  cousin,  she  says  : — 
"  Father  Bourdaloue  is  going,  by  order  of  the  king,  to  preach  at 
Montpellier,  and  in  those  provinces  where  so  many  people  have  be- 
come converts,  without  knowing  why.  Father  Bourdaloue  will  tell 
them  why,  and  make  good  Catholics  of  them.  The  dragoons  have 
hitherto  been  excellent  missionaries;  but  preachers  are  now  re- 
quired to  finish  the  work.'^  And  in  another  letter,  speaking  of  the 
act  revoking  the  Edict  of  Nantes  :  ^^  No  !"  she  exclaimed,  ^'  never 
was  anything  so  noble  as  all  that  it  contains  ;  never  has  any  king 
done  anything  so  memorable. ''' 

The  famous  Chancellor,  Le  Tellier,  on  affixing  the  great  seal  to 
this  fatal  act,  declared  he  would  never  seal  another,  and  blasphe- 
mously ejaculated  :  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation  !'^ 

Massillon,  too,  celebrated  the  great  victory  of  Louis  XI Y.  over 
heresy.  "  To  what  an  elevation,"  he  breaks  out,  "  did  his  zeal  for 
the  Church,  the  prime  virtue  of  sovereigns,  who  have  received  the 
sword  and  power  to  maintain  her  altars  and  defend  her  doctrine, 
raise  him  !  Specious  reasons  of  state !  in  vain  you  opposed  to 
Louis  the  timid  views  of  human  wisdom;  the  monarchy  enfeebled 
by  the  evasion  of  so  many  citizens,  and  commerce  stagnated  by  the 
privation  of  their  industry,  or  the  furtive  removal  of  their  wealth. 
Perils  inflamed  his  zeal.  The  work  of  God  fears  not  men.  He 
was  convinced  that  he  was  strengthening  his  own  throne  by  over- 
throwing that  of  error.  The  profane  temples  are  destroyed ;  the 
pulpits  of  sedition  are  thrown  down;  the  prophets  of  lies  are 
banished  from  their  flocks.  Heresy  has  fallen  under  the  first  blow 
from  the  arm  of  Louis;  it  has  disappeared,  and  is  reduced  to  hide 
itself  in  the  darkness  whence  it  issued,  or  to  cross  the  seas,  and 
carry  with  its  false  gods,  its  rage  and  malignities  into  foreign 
countries." 

The  enthusiasm  of  Flechier  on  the  same  subject,  is  expressed  in 
equally  glowing  terms.  In  a  discourse  addressed  to  the  French 
Academy,  he  exclaimed,  alluding  to  the  destruction  of  the  Temple 
of  Charenton  :  ''  Glorious  ruins  !  the  noblest  trophy  France  has 
ever  seen.  Triumphal  arches  and  statues  raised  to  the  glory  of  the 
king  illustrate  it  not  more  than  this  temple  of  heresy  demolished 
by  his  piety.  This  heresy,  which  thought  itself  invincible,  is 
entirely  conquered ;  and  its  vanquisher  has  gained  such  strength 
from  this  conquest,  that  the  very  thought  of  it  strikes  a  panic  into 
the  hearts  of  his  enemies.  The  fable  of  the  strangled  hydra  can 
alone  give  an  idea  of  the  victory  we  so  much  admire." 

Bossue^.  still   the  wondecjlbf  French  literature  and  eloquence, 


COMMENTARY.  119 

spoke  in  the  same  strain.  "  Profoundly  moved/'  says  he,  "  with 
so  many  marvels,  let  us  pour  out  our  hearts  in  praise  of  the  piety 
of  Louis.  Let  our  acclamations  rise  to  heaven,  whilst  we  proclaim 
to  this  new  Constantino,  this  new  Theodosius,  this  new  Marcian, 
this  new  Charlemagne,  that  which  the  six  hundred  and  thirty 
Fathers  proclaimed  formerly  in  the  Council  of  Chalcedon :  You 
have  fortified  the  faith ;  you  have  exterminated  the  heretics ;  this 
is  the  work  worthy  of  your  reign,  this  gives  it  its  distinctive  cha- 
racter. By  you,  heresy  is  no  more.  God  alone  could  accomplish 
this  marvel.  King  of  heaven,  hold  in  thy  keeping  the  King  of  the 
earth  !  This  is  the  prayer  of  the  churches,  this  is  the  prayer  of 
the  bishops.'* 

We  should  at  present  accompany  M.  Weiss,  with  his  refugees, 
into  the  foreign  countries,  where  they  met  not  only  with  a  cordial 
and  fraternal  reception,  but  with  every  kind  of  aid  and  encourage- 
ment, and  with  special  advantages  and  privileges  not  accorded  to 
natives;  but  we  cannot  contemplate  the  success  of  these  happy 
fugitives  till  we  have  cast  a  look  back  on  their  wretched  brethren 
whom  they  left  behind  them. 

All  our  knowledge  of  these  persecuted  Christians,  from  the  dra- 
goonades  and  galleys  to  the  latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI., 
is,  to  be  sure,  of  a  negative  kind.  It  furnishes,  nevertheless,  a 
dreadful  picture  of  suffering  on  one  side,  and  of  unrelenting 
tyranny  on  the  other.  Protestantism  was,  in  fact,  blotted  out  of 
existence,  as  far  as  the  law  could  do  it,  in  France.  Without 
churches,  without  pastors,  without  the  legal  rights  of  marriage  and 
of  sepulture,  the  Reformed  were  a  scattered  and  hunted  flock,  who 
could  only  worship  God,  as  they  expressed  it  themselves,  in  the 
desert.  In  some  wild  tracks  of  the  Cevennes,  and  some  gorges  of 
the  Lower  Alps,  almost  inaccessible  to  a  cruel  police,  who  made 
them  its  prey,  a  good  number  of  them  (the  rest  conforming  them- 
selves to  their  position,  had  got  the  real  Pariah  character)  still  con- 
tinued, in  defiance  of  danger,  to  assemble  together,  from  time  to 
time,  for  the  purposes  of  worship.  Their  pastors,  few,  poor,  and 
obscure,  but  devoted  men,  whose  names  have  not  been  recorded  on 
the  earth,  traversed  these  regions,  incurring  truly  apostolic  hard- 
ships, and  at  intervals,  months  apart,  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper 
in  rocks  and  caves,  and  dens  of  the  earth,  and  exhorted  to  Chris- 
tian virtue  and  patience  those  who  flocked  by  stealth  to  hear  them, 
and  returned  to  their  own  homes  in  a  like  clandestine  manner. 
This  state  of  things  lasted  more  than  half  a  century.  The  venera- 
ble and  most  excellent  Malesherbes,  whose  green  old  age  preserved 
all  the  warmth  and  more  than  the  enthusiastic  benevolence  of 
youth,  was  the  first  whose  voice  was  heard  in  favor  of  the  persecu- 


120  '  COMMENTARY. 

ted  race.  Hulilieres  followed  his  noble  example,  and  presented  a 
petition  in  their  behalf,  from  which  we  shall  borrow  an  extract,  to 
Louis  XVI.  :— 

"  The  twentieth  part  of  the  natives  of  the  kingdom,"  says  this 
petition,  "  retained  by  force  shut  up  within  its  frontiers,  remain 
without  religious  worship,  without  civil  professions,  without  the 
rights  of  citizens,  without  wives,  though  married,  without  heirs, 
though  fathers.  They  cannot  but  by  profaning  the  public  worship 
on  the  one  hand,  or  by  disobeying  the  laws  on  the  other,  either  be 
born  or  marry,  or  live  or  die.  More  than  a  million  of  Frenchmen 
are  deprived  in  France  of  giving  the  names  of  wives  and  legitimate 
children  to  those  whom  the  law  of  nature,  superior  to  all  civil  in- 
stitutions, recognize  as  such.  More  than  a  million  of  Frenchmen, 
have  lost,  in  their  own  country,  rights  which  all  men  enjoy  in  all 
countries,  civilized  or  savage,  and  which  in  France  are  not  denied 
to  malefactors,  branded  with  the  most  infamous  crimes.  We  de- 
plore the  state  of  the  Catholics  in  England  ;  they  may  be  unhappy, 
but  they  are  not  marked  with  infamy.  England  has  never  gone  so 
far  as  to  inflict  on  all  their  families  the  desolating  names  of  bas- 
tardy and  concubinage.  Their  children  may  inherit  their  property. 
Their  noble  families  are  not  reduced  to  the  impossibility  of  proving 
their  nobility  otherwise  than  by  clandestine  acts,  inadmissible 
before  the  tribunals ;  and  if  they  find  their  condition  intolerable, 
they  are  permitted  to  emigrate ;  the  ports  of  the  three  nations  are 
open  to  them." 

This  petition  had  the  effect  of  procuring  for  the  Eeformed  the 
rites  of  marriage,  baptism,  and  Christian  burjal.  The  Revolution 
afterwards  placed  them  on  an  equality  with  all  Frenchmen;  but 
this  equality,  though  proclaiming  religious  liberty,  was  nearly  as 
hostile,  as  soon  appeared,  to  everything  that  bore  the  name  of  re- 
ligion, as  popery  is  to  the  gospel.  To  Napoleon,  it  was,  that 
French  Protestants  owed  the  present  respectable  and  permanent 
establishment  of  their  creed ;  and  that  this  great  man  was  induced 
to  do  them  this  justice  as  much  from  conscientious  reasons  as  from 
political  motives,  we  think  apparent  from  the  energetic  answers  he 
made  to  a  deputation  of  Protestants  who  came  to  thank  him  for  the 
benefits  they  had  received  from  his  government : — 

''I  take  this  opportunity,"  said  he,  ''of  declaring  to  the  pastors 
of  the  Reformed  Churches  my  firm  determination  and  will  to  main- 
tain religious  liberty  in  its  fullest  extent.  The  empire  of  the  law 
ceases  where  the  indefinite  empire  of  conscience  commences. 
Neither  prince  nor  law  can  regulate  the  latter;  and  if  any  of  my 
family  who  may  succeed  me,  deceived  by  the  dictates  of  an  unen- 
lightened conscience,  should    attempt  to  do  so,  I  devote  him  to 


COMMENTARY.  121 

public  execration,  and  autliorize  you  to  give  him  the  name  of 
Nero." — Extracted  from  the  New  York  Observer. 

For  the  same  reason,  there  was  joy  and  a  solemn  procession  to 
the  Church  of  St.  Louis  in  Rome,  when  the  St.  Bartholomew's 
day's  slaughter  was  known  in  the  papal  palace;  and  when  two 
hundred  thousand  Protestants  had  been  slaughtered  in  Ireland,  in 
1641,  according  to  the  instructions  contained  in  a  Papal  bull,  which 
had  been  received  there  previously ;  and  Saint  Dominic  was  ca- 
nonized in  return  of  the  utter  slaughter  of  the  Albigenses,  who  had 
been  a  prey  to  the  papal  excommunications,  from  1187  to  1215, 
when  their  cities  were  reduced  to  ashes,  and  the  Count  of  Toulouse, 
Raymond  VII.,  conducted,  naked,  with  a  rope  about  his  neck,  to 
the  gates  of  the  church  of  Yalence,  where  he  was  beaten  by  a 
deacon,  in  punishment  of  the  pretended  murder  of  a  monk.  Add 
to  all  these  massacres,  that  only  four  hundred  Waldehses  escaped 
with  their  pastor,  Henry  Arnaud,  by  seeking  refuge  in  Holland ; 
that  James  II.  of  England,  had  also  been  prevailed  upon  by  the 
Jesuit,  Peters,  his  confessor,  to  destroy  Protestantism  in  his  king- 
dom J  so  that  the  two  witnesses  of  the  Lord  would  have  then  been 
overcome,  and  utterly  destroyed,  had  not  the  Lord  come  to  rescue 
them  from  their  enemies  :  ^'  from  the  beast  that  ascendeth  out  of 
the  bottomless  pit.'' 

A  "  beast"  represents  a  worldly  kingdom,  as  the  four  beasts, 
which  Daniel  saw  coming  up  from  the  sea  (the  emblem  of  the  civil 
commotions),  represent  the  four  great  monarchies,  which  have  suc- 
ceeded each  other  from  Nebuchadnezzar  to  our  days.  This  beast 
does  not  come  up  from  the  sea ;  but  from  the  bottomless  pit  (the 
destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire),  which  was  opened  by  Boniface 
III.,  and  out  of  which  came  the  Dark  Ages  (9  :  1-3)  and  the 
incursions  of  the  Saracens.  It  came  out  of  a  corrupted  Church, 
"  out  of  the  earth ;  and  he  had  two  horns  (powers)  like  a  lamb 
(Jesus  Christ),  and  he  spake  as  a  dragon"  (devil,  13  :  11).  This 
beast  represents,  then,  popedom,  which  had  its  origin  in  the  corrup- 
tion of  the  churches,  who  had  abandoned  the  simplicity  and  purity 
of  the  apostolic  doctrines.  The  union  of  the  Church  and  State 
enabled  the  popes  to  make  war  against  the  witnesses,  to  overcome 
and  kill  them.  Their  dead  bodies  were  carried  upon  carts,,  and 
thrown  into  the  rivers,  or  laid  unburied  in  the  streets  of  the  groat 
city  of  Rome,  which  spiritually  is  called  "  Sodom,"  for  its  impuri- 
ties, and  "  Egypt,"  for  the  yoke  of  bondage  under  which  the 
people  of  Grod  are  groaning;  and  where  also  our  Lord  was  cruciiied, 
having  been  delivered  to  the  Jews  by  one  of  its  governors.  The 
kingdoms  subjected  to  the  papal  yoke,  are  called  the  streets  of  the 
great  city  of  Rome,  which  is  taken  for  the  seat  of  all  these  king- 

n 


122  COMMENTARY. 

doms,  as  it  was  before  the  seat  of  all  the  provinces  of  the  pagan 
empire.  It  was  throughout  all  these  papal  kingdoms  that  the 
witnesses  of  the  Lord  were  hunted  and  killed  like  wild  beasts,  and 
left  unburied  in  the  fields,  to  be  the  food  of  the  birds  of  prey. 
But  their  murders  will  avail  nothing ;  for,  behold,  the  martyrs  of 
the  Lord  will  soon  rise  up,  at  the  voice  of  the  living  God. 

V.  11-14.  "And  after  three  days  and  an  half  the  Spirit  of  life  from  God 
entered  into  them,  and  they  stood  upon  their  feet ;  and  great  fear  fell  upon 
them  which  saw  them.  And  they  heard  a  great  voice  from  heaven  saying 
unto  them,  Come  up  hitlier.  And  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  in  a  cloud  ; 
and  their  enemies  beheld  them.  And  the  same  hour  was  there  a  great 
earthquake,  and  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  fell,  and  in  the  earthquake  were 
slain  of  men  seven  thousand:  and  the  remnant  were  affrighted,  and  gave 
glory  to  the  God  of  heaven.  The  second  woe  is  past;  and,  behold,  the  third 
woe  Cometh  quickly." 

The  entire  ruin  of  the  witnesses  seemed  to  be  inevitable.  The 
powerful  Louis  XIV.  had  said,  "  There  are  Protestants  no  longer;" 
they  were  destroyed  without  mercy  in  France,  Piedmont,  and 
James  11.  of  England  was  threatening  to  destroy  them  also  in  his 
kingdom.  But  a  more  powerful  than  Louis  XIV.  said  unto  them, 
three  years  and  a  half  after  this  general  conspiracy  against  them, 
in  November,  1688,  "  Come  up  hither  (to  the  throne  of  England). 
And  they  ascended  up  to  heaven  (to  the  throne)  in  a  cloud  (in  a 
mysterious  manner,  in  a  political  storm),  and  their  enemies  beheld 
them.  And  the  same  hour  there  was  a  great  earthquake  (a  great 
revolution) ;  and  the  tenth  part  of  the  city  (the  tenth  papal  king- 
dom, England)  fell  (from  popery),  and  in  the  earthquake  there  were 
slain  of  men  (names  of  men,  according  to  the  Greek)  seven  thou- 
sand;" that  is,  seven  thousand  names  of  men  were  blotted  out 
from  the  list  of  the  papal  subjects,  holding  offices  in  England;  for 
there  was  no  shedding  of  blood  in  that  religious  revolution.  "And 
the  remnant  were  affrighted,  and  gave  glory  to  the  God  of  heaven;" 
that  is,  the  others,  fearing  to  lose  their  offices  and  dignities,  gave 
glory  to  the  God  of  heaven,  by  abandoning  popery,  to  take  the 
word  of  God  and  turn  Protestants. 

Nothing  could  give  us  a  more  striking  image  of  the  religious 
revolution,  which  took  place  in  England  when  the  Prince  of 
Orange  became  master  of  its  throne,  than  this  picture  of  the 
prophet.  The  Prince  of  Orange,  having  vanquished  James  II.  at 
the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  in  Ireland,  and  having  formally  acknow- 
ledged Protestantism  as  the  foundation  of  the  constitution  of  his 
kingdom,  kept  in  check  the  princes  who  were  supporters  of  papacy. 
j^As  the  Waldenses,  who  had  escaped  from  the  slaughter  of  their 


COMMENTARY.  123 

brethren,  had  sought  a  refuge  in  the  Low  Countries,  where  they 
joined  his  army,  he  showed  them  his  gratitude  by  enabling  them 
to  return  into  their  own  valleys,  under  the  command  of  their 
pastor,  Henry  Arnaud.  They  attacked  suddenly  the  French  and 
Savoy  army,  which  consisted  of  ten  thousand  men;  and  after 
having  defeated  them  several  times,  they  succeeded  in  driving 
them  from  their  mountains.  It  is  so  that  "  the  Spirit  of  life  from 
God  entered  into  them,  and  they  stood  upon  their  feet."  Their 
enemies,  who  thought  to  exterminate  them,  beheld  them,  but 
could  not  resist  the  invisible  power  of  God ;  and,  from  that  time, 
there  has  been  no  outward  persecution  against  Protestants ;  they 
enjoy  their  civil  and  religious  liberty.  The  twelfth  and  thirteenth 
verses  of  the  fourteenth  chapter  correspond  to  this  passage.  For 
that  reason,  a  voice  was  heard,  saying :  ''  Write,  Blessed  are  the 
dead  (the  papists,  Eph.  2  :  1)  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  hence- 
forth (who  abandon  popery  to  turn  Protestants),  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors  (persecutions);  and  their  works  do  follow 
them,"  their  persecutors  being  henceforth  unable  to  destroy  the 
churches  which  shall  be  built  up  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 

We  may  infer,  from  the  verses  which  we  have  just  examined, 
that  the  two  witnesses  finished  their  testimony  at  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685; — that  they  were  slain  and  left 
unburied  in  the  streets  or  kingdoms  overruled  by  popery,  during 
three  years  and  a  half,  to  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  when 
Protestantism  became  the  religion  of  England.  Therefore,  the 
witnesses,  who  were  sealed  (chapter  7),  from  313,  during  the  peace 
enjoyed  under  Constantino  and  some  of  his  successors,  to  the  time 
of  the  invasions  of  the  barbarians,  which  commenced  in  395  and 
continued  to  the  utter  destruction  of  the  Empire,  began  to  bear 
witness  to  the  truth  about  425,  Now  it  was,  in  fact,  about  this 
time  that  Christianity  was  banished  from  the  cities;  the  temples 
were  invaded  by  the  worship  of  saints,  images,  and  relics ;  and  the 
heresies  of  Arianism,  Donatism,  and  Pelagianism  had  almost  de- 
stroyed the  true  faith  in  Christ  throughout  the  Empire.  It  was, 
then,  at  that  time,  that  the  servants  of  the  Lord  began  to  bear 
witness  against  the  errors  and  idolatry  which  invaded  the  temple 
of  God. 

The  first  of  the  three  woes,  announced  after  the  overthrow  of 
the  Roman  Empire  (8  :  13),  began,  as  we  have  said,  in  606,  and 
finished  at  the  end  of  the  Crusades,  in  1260.  The  second  com- 
menced about  1300,  with  the  incursions  of  the  Turks,  and 
finished,"^  as  it  is  stated  here,  when  England  had   become  Pro- 

*  The  Turks  linished  their  ravages  in  1618. 


124  COMxMENTARY. 

testant.  But  there  is  an  old  quarrel  between  God  and  the  great 
city,  spiritually  called  Sodom  and  Egypt  (18  :  24);  and  the  third 
woe, — the  French  ivcvolution  of  1793, — will  come  quickly  to 
decide  ultimately  this  affair. 

V.  15-19.  "And  the  scvenlli  angel  sounded;  and  there  were  great  voices 
in  heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord,  and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  And  the 
four  and  twenty  elders,  which  sat  before  God  on  their  seats,  fell  upon  their 
faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying,  We  give  thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God 
Almighty,  which  art,  and  wast,  and  art  to  come ;  because  thou  hast  taken  to 
thee  tliy  great  power,  and  hast  reigned.  And  the  nations  were  angry,  and 
thy  wrath  is  come,  and  the  time  of  the  dead,  that  they  should  be  judged, 
and  that  thou  shouldest  give  reward  unto  thy  servants  tlie  i)rophets,  and  to 
the  saints,  and  them  that  fear  thy  name,  small  and  great :  and  shouldef5t 
destroy  them  which  destroy  the  earth.  And  the  temple  of  God  was  opened 
in  heaven,  and  there  was  seen  in  his  temple  the  ark  of  his  testament:  and 
there  were  lightnings,  and  voices,  and  thunderings,  and  an  earthquake,  and 
great  hail." 

We  have  in  this  passage  a  succinct  exposition  of  all  the  plagues, 
by  which  the  seat  of  the  beast  shall  be  afflicted,  at  the  pouring  out 
of  the  seven  vials,  which  are  contained  in  the  seventh  trumpet.  The 
"  dead,"  spoken  of  here,  are  those  "  which  destroy  the  earth,"  and 
which  God  shall  destroy.  Therefore  it  is  spoken  of  a  spiritual 
death,  of  the  papal  nations,  which  are  dead  in  their  sins  (14  :  13; 
Rom.  6  :  13  ;  Eph.  2  :  1),  and  upon  which  the  vials  of  the  wrath 
of  God  shall  be  poured  out. 

It  is  said  (10  :  7)  that,  when  the  seventh  angel  shall  begin  to 
sound,  the  mystery  of  God,  about  the  great  apostacy  of  the  Roman 
Church,  shall  be  finished  ;  and  the  prophet  says  here  that  "  The 
temple  of  God  was  opened  in  heaven  (the  empire),  and  there  was 
seen  in  his  temple  the  ark  of  his  testament."  He  does  not  say 
that  the  final  triumph  of  the  Church  shall  be  then  accomplished ; 
but  only  that  the  ark  of  his  testament  shall  be  seen  in  his  temple, 
that  the  liberty  of  worship  shall  be  granted  to  his  Church.  The 
final  triumph  of  the  Church  shall  be  achieved  only  after  the  pouring 
out  of  the  seventh  vial,  which  is  called  the  vintage  of  the  wrath  of 
God  (14:  18-20;  19  :  7-21).  Now,  it  shall  be' proved  by  the  ex- 
position of  the  seven  vials,  emblematically  represented  by  "  the 
harvest  and  vintage"  (14  :  14-20),  that  the  French  Revolution  of 
171)3,  with  its  wars,  is  the  third  woe  announced  at  the  sound  of 
the  seventh  trumpet. 

According  to  Bucholcer  and  Sigonius,  the  Emperor  Justinian 
published  the  code  of  his  institutions  in  533,  and,  by  a  decree, 
gave  the  Bishop  of  Rome  the  pre-eminence  over  all  the  other 
bishops.     But,  then,  the  bishops  denied  him  this  papal  power.     If 


COMMENTARY.  125 

we  add  to  533,  the  1260  years  of  existence  which  are  allowed  to 
popery,  we  have  precisely  1793,  the  epoch  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, which,  by  a  decree  in  the  preceding  year,  interdicted  the  papal 
religion,  and  granted  the  liberty  of  worship  to  any  other  religious 
denomination.  So,  a  French  law,  which  was  without  effect,  abo- 
lished another  law  which  had,  in  vain,  granted  to  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  the  supremacy  over  his  colleagues.  Had  we  the  precise  date 
of  the  epoch  in  which  popery  had  its  existence,  we  could  easily  de- 
termine the  epoch  of  the  destruction  of  the  papal  league  with  the 
devil  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  (16  :  13,  14),  and  the  final  triumph 
of  the  Church.  Its  spiritual  power  dates  from  606  ;  but  its  tem- 
poral power  dates  only  from  756.  Therefore,  popery  will  still  con- 
tinue to  2016,  if  its  existence  is  reckoned  only  from  the  time  when 
the  popes  united  the  temporal  to  the  spiritual  power.  But  it  is 
rather  as  a  spiritual  prince  that  the  man  of  sin  is  spoken  of;  and 
if  we  have  given  the  true  meaning  of  the  sixth  verse  of  the  tenth 
chapter,  'Hhere  should  be  time  no  longer,"  popery  must  be  de- 
stroyed, in  1866 ;  for  it  should  not  exist  to  1877.  The  seventh 
trumpet  shall  sound  only,  with  all  its  strength,  at  the  time  of  the 
utter  destruction  of  the  Antichristian  league,  as  it  is  described  in 
the  nineteenth  chapter.  It  is  for  that  reason,  that  the  saints  and 
angels  sing  there,  as  in  this  passage,  and  in  the  fifteenth  chapter, 
when  the  vials  are  given  unto  the  angels,  saying,  "■  The  kingdoms 
of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  his 
Christ ;  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.'' 

At  the  first  .sounding  of  the  trumpet,  in  1793,  the  civil  constitu- 
tion of  the  clergy  was  decreed,  and  Louis  XVI.  had  previously 
been  obliged  to  grant  the  Protestants  the  liberty  of  worship.  The 
temple  of  Grod  was  thus  open  in  heaven,  that  is,  in  the  kingdom, 
which  had  been,  at  all  times  since  Charlemagne,  the  supporter  of 
the  papal  pretensions ;  and  the  liberty  of  worship  was  granted 
also,  for  some  time,  to  all  the  people  subjected  to  the  papal  yoke, 
wherever  the  French  armies  were  victorious.  The  temple  of  God 
was  opened  in  this  manner  throughout  the  provinces  of  the  ancient 
pagan  Roman  Empire  ;  and  there  was  seen  everywhere  the  ark  of 
his  testament,  which  was  a  token  that  the  presence  of  God  was 
anew  manifested  in  the  midst  of  his  people.  But,  as  "  the  temple 
was  filled  with  smoke  (the  emblem  of  his  wrath)  from  the  glory  of 
God  and  from  his  power,  no  man  (none  of  the  papal  kingdoms)  was 
able  to  enter  into  the  temple  (to  shake  off  the  papal  yoke  and  turn 
Christians),  till  the  seven  plagues  of  the  seven  angels  were  ful- 
filled" (15  :  8).  From  that  time,  the  papal  colossus  is  but  a 
corpse  ;  its  anathemas  are  no  longer  apprehended,  and  it  stands 
only  for  the  indifference  of  men.     When  (Miarles  X.,  and  after  him 

11* 


126  COMMENTARY. 

Louis  Philippe,  attempted  to  give  him  life,  they  were  precipitated 
fromt  heir  thrones.  New  events  will  soon  teach  us  what  shall  be 
the  recompense  which  Napoleon  III.  shall  receive  for  having 
raised  up  again  the  papal  throne  from  its  ruins. 

The  calamities  by  which  France  and  the  other  papal  kingdoms 
were  afflicted,  from  the  scaffold  of  Louis  XVI.  to  the  defeat  of 
Waterloo  and  the  invasion  of  France  by  the  armies  of  the  united 
powers  of  all  Europe,  are  the  storms  foreboded  by  the  lightnings, 
voices,  thunderings,  earthquake,  and  great  hail. 


CHAPTEll    XIL 

THE    ENJMITY    OF     SATAN    AGAINST     THE     CHURCH — HOW     HE     AT- 
TEMPTED   TO    DESTROY    CHRISTIANITY. 

Who  is  the  true  author  of  the  persecutions, — and  how  is  it,  that, 
after  the  destruction  of  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  there  are  yet 
other  persecutions,  in  consequence  of  which,  a  third  woe  is  an- 
nounced, at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  to  afflict,  with 
plagues,  the  same  countries,  which  composed  formerly  this  Roman 
Empire  ?  The  prophet  answers  :  1.  That  Satan,  the  master  of  the 
Roman  Empire, .is  the  author  of  the  persecutions;  verse  1-G. 
2.  That  having  been  defeated  with  his  angels,  the  supporters  of 
Paganism,  by  the  victories  of  Constantino,  over  Maxentius  and 
Licinius,  verse  7-12,  he  destroyed  the  Roman  Empire,  which  had 
become  Christian,  by  casting  out  of  his  mouth  (Paganism)  swarms 
of  barbarians,  like  waters,  to  destroy  the  Church,  supposing  that 
the  barbarians  would  oblige  the  concjuered  to  submit  to  their  laws, 
and  to  worship  their  gods;  verse  L'>-17.  Satan,  having  failed  in 
his  attempt,  was  wroth  with  the  Church,  figured  by  the  woman, 
and  he  raised  up  out  of  its  ruins  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  or  an 
image  of  it,  as  it  is  described  in  the  thirteenth  chapter.  It  was 
necessary,  that  the  prophet  should  show  us  this  second  existence  of 
this  empire,  before  giving  us  the  emblems  of  the  calamities,  con- 
tained in  the  seventh  trumpet,  by  which  it  ought  to  be  destroyed. 
The  triumph  of  the  witnesses,  who  have  now  ascended  up  to  the 
throne  of  England,  is  the  beginning  of  the  decline  and  decay  of 
popery.  The  seventh  trumpet  announced  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
in  his  temple,  and  the  triumph  of  his  Church  shall  be  accomplished 
at  the  pouring  out  of  the  seventh  vial,  called  "  The  vintage,  the 


COMMENTARY.  127 

great  day  of  the  Lord,  the  battle  of  Armageddon^  and  the  marriage 
supper  of  the  Lord." 

V.  1-6.  "  And  there  appeared  a  great  wonder  in  heaven  ;  a  woman  clothed 
with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  under  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of 
twelve  stars  :  and  she  being  with  child  cried,  travailing  in  birth,  and  pained 
to  be  delivered.  And  there  appeared  another  wonder  in  heaven;  and  be- 
hold a  great  red  dragon,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  seven  crowns 
upon  his  heads.  And  his  tail  drew  the  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven,  and 
did  cast  them  to  the  earth  :  and  the  dragon  stood  before  the  woman  which 
was  ready  to  be  delivered,  for  to  devour  her  child  as  soon  as  it  was  born. 
And  she  brought  forth  a  man  child,  who  was  to  rule  all  nations  with  a  rod 
of  iron  :  and  her  child  was  caught  up  unto  God,  and  io  his  throne.  And  the 
woman  fled  into  the  wilderness,  Mdiere  she  had  a  place  prepared  of  God, 
that  they  should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  himdred  and  threescore 
days." 

These  verses  show  us  the  old  enmity  between  the  serpent  and 
the  woman,  and  between  his  seed  and  her  seed  (Gen.  3  :  15),  ex- 
emplified under  the  emblems  of  two  wonders  in  heaven,  the  image 
of  the  Roman  Empire.  The  Church,  as  the  bride  of  the  Lamb, 
and  the  mother  of  Christians,  is  represented  under  the  emblem  of 
a  ^^  woman  clothed  with  the  sun,"  intimating  that  Christians  have 
put  on  Christ,  the  sun  of  righte  Dusncss,  which  is  imputed  to  them. 
''  The  moon  under  her  feet"  is  the  emblem  of  Paganism  overcome 
by  Christianity ;  "and  upon  her  head  a  crown  of  twelve  stars," 
represents  the  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  taught  by  the  twelve  apostles, 
and  the  crown  of  heaven  which  Christians  shall  inherit.  Her  cries 
and  "  travailing  in  birth,  and  paining  to  be  delivered,"  are  the 
emblems  of  the  long  expectation  of  the  Jewish  Church,  for  the 
coming  of  Messiah,  and  of  the  afflictions  of  the  Christian  Church, 
in  bringing  forth  new  Christians  in  the  midst  of  cruel  persecutions. 

On  the  other  side,  "  a  great  red  dragon,"  who  is  the  old  serpent, 
called  the  devil  and  Satan  (verse  9),  stands  "  before  the  woman, 
which  was  ready  to  be  delivered,  for  to  devour  her  child  as  soon  as 
it  was  born."  He  has  "  seven  heads,"  which  are  seven  mountains, 
on  which  the  city,  where  he  has  his  seat,  is  built.  They  are  also 
seven  kings,  indicated  by  the  "  seven  crowns,"  which  represent  as 
many  forms  of  government  (17  :  9-12).  The  "ten  horns"  repre- 
sent the  ten  barbarian  nations,  by  which  the  Roman  Empire  was 
destroyed,  and  the  ten  kingdoms,  which  they  raised  up  out  of  its 
ruins.  These  barbarians,  baptized  in  the  pale  of  the  Roman 
Church,  and  professing  unanimously  allegiance  to  the  papal  throne, 
formed  a  new  empire,  which  is  called  "the  image"  of  the  first 
(13  :  14,  15);  and,  here,  "the  tail"  of  the  red  (bloody)  dragon; 
because  its  chief  is  a  "prophet  that  teacheth  lies."  (Is.  9  :  14-17.) 


128  COMMENTARY. 

^^His  tail  drew  the  third  part  of  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  did  cast 
them  to  the  earth/'  is  the  emblem  of  popery,  which  drew  the 
bishops  of  the  western  part  of  the  empire  into  its  apostacy,  and 
caused  them  to  be  worldly  men  and  nominal  Christians. 

"  And  she  brought  forth  a  man  child,  who  was  to  rule  all  nations 
with  a  rod  of  iron,"  This  man  child,  that  the  mystic  woman 
brought  forth,  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  given  unto  us,  whose  name 
is :  ''  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting 
Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace"  (Is.  9  :  6).  He  was  to  rule  all  nations 
with  a  rod  of  iron,  to  submit  them  to  the  throne  of  David,  his 
Father ;  but,  when  the  mystic  woman  was  ready  to  be  delivered, 
two  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  the  Roman  Empire  conquered 
Judea,  and  the  red  dragon  stood  thus  before  the  woman.  The  Jews 
refused  to  have  him  to  reign  over  them  -,  they  asked  that  he  should 
be  crucified.  Therefore,  the  man  child  was  devoured  by  the  dragon, 
who  bruised  ^'his  heel"  (Gen.  3  :  15),  not  his  life,  because  he  had  life 
in  himself,  and  power  to  take  it  again  by  rising  up  from  the  dead  ; 
and  so  "  the  man  child  was  caught  up  unto  God,  and  to  his  throne," 
and  the  Church  was  left,  as  a  widow,  obliged  to  flee  ''  into  the 
wilderness,"  to  escape  from  the  pagan  persecutions.  She  was 
obliged  to  live  solitary  in  the  wilderness,  not  only  during  the  reign 
of  paganism,  but  it  was  her  condition  that,  after  having  been  de- 
livered from  her  bondage,  she  should  be  obliged  to  flee  again  into 
the  same  wilderness,  ''where  she  has  a  place  prepared  of  God,  that 
they  should  feed  her  there  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  threescore 
days."  Mark  here  that  the  reckoning  is  again  made  in  prophetic 
days,  because  it  refers  to  the  true  Church,  enlightened  by  the  sun 
of  righteousness  (P]z.  4  :  6).  It  is  evident,  that  the  wilderness  into 
which  the  Church  fled  after  the  death  of  Christ,  is  not  the  same  as 
the  place  she  has  prepared  of  God,  and  of  which  it  is  spoken  in  the 
fourteenth  verse.  This  passage,  gives  us  the  picture  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Church  in  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  from  the  birth  of 
Christ  to  the  victories  of  Constantine;  and  it  synchronizes  with  the 
churches  of  Ephesus  and  Smyrna  (2  :  1-11),  and  with  the  first 
five  seals  (G  :  1-11). 

V.  7-12.  "  And  there  was  war  in  heaven :  Micliael  and  his  angels  fought 
against  the  dragon;  and  the  dragon  fought  and  his  angel.s,  and  prevailed 
not ;  neither  was  their  place  found  any  more  in  heaven.  And  the  great 
dragon  was  cast  out,  that  old  serpent,  called  the  Devil,  and  8atan,  wliich 
dcceiveth  the  whole  world:  he  M'as  cast  out  into  the  earth,  and  his  angels 
were  cast  out  with  him. 

'•  And  I  heard  a  loud  voice  saying  in  heaven.  Now  is  come  salvation  and 
strength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his  Christ:  for  the 
accuser  of  our  brethren  is  cast  down,  which  accused  them  before  our  God 
day  and  night.     And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by 


COMMENTARY.  129 

the  word  of  their  testimony;  and  they  loved  not  their  lives  unto  the  death. 
Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  ye  that  dwell  in  them,  Woe  to  the  inha- 
biters  of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea!  for  the  devil  is  come  down  unto  you, 
having  great  wrath,  because  he  knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short  time." 

Until  now,  the  Church  has  been  travailing  in  birth,  with  cries, 
to  bring  forth  Christians  in  the  midst  of  cruel  persecutions.  But 
now  the  deliverance  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand.  There  is  war  in 
heaven  (the  Empire)  between  Christianity  and  paganism.  Michael 
(who  is  equal  to  God,  Jesus  Christ  himself)  and  his  angels  (the 
army  of  Constantine,  composed  of  Christians)  fought  for  Chris- 
tianity against  the  dragon;  and  the  dragon  and  his  angels  (the  sup- 
porters of  paganism,  Maxentius  and  Licinius)  fought  for  paganism, 
and  prevailed  not;  neither  was  their  place  found  any  more  in 
heaven.  Therefore,  after  ten  bloody  persecutions,  and  especially 
that  of  Diocletian,  which  continued  ten  years,  the  great  dragon, 
Satan,  who  deceived  our  first  parents,  and  deceiveth  the  whole 
world,  young  and  old,  learned  and  ignorant,  was  cast  out,  with  his 
angels,  into  the  earth;  his  gods,  priests,  augurs,  captains,  and 
emperors,  were  cast  out;  the  place  of  his  gods  was  no  longer 
found  in  heaven,  nor  their  altars  in  the  temples.  His  priests, 
augurs,  and  pontiffs  were  stripped  of  their  rich  and  pompous 
ministry  of  impostures  and  deceptions,  and  his  emperors  were 
overthrown  from  their  throne  :  "  and  every  mountain  and  island 
were  moved  out  of  their  places ;"  all  the  civil  and  religious  offices 
and  dignities  passed  from  the  heathens  to  the  Christians. 

After  that  victory  of  Christianity  over  paganism,  the  prophet 
"  heard  a  loud  voice  saying  in  heaven  (the  empire).  Now  is  come 
salvation,  and  strength,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord,  and  the 
power  of  his  Christ.'^  The  Christians,  supposing  that  the  reign 
of  Jesus  Christ  had  come,  maifested  their  joy  and  gratitude,  and 
attributed  their  victory,  not  to  the  valor  of  Constantine,  but  to  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  to  the  patience  of  the  martyrs.  They  had 
cause  to  rejoice,  for  they  were  delivered  from  the  fury  of  the 
heathens,  who  ceased  not  to  accuse  them  of  committing  the  most 
heinous  sins  in  their  secret  assemblies ;  to  be  the  cause  of  the 
scourges  of  the  famine  and  pestilence,  by  which  the  Empire  was 
desolated ;  and  to  have  burnt  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  at  Nico- 
media.  These  false  accusations,  which  caused  the  Diocletian  per- 
secution, in  which  their  brethren  were  slaughtered,  and  which 
were  heard,  day  and  night,  by  Jesus  Christ,  their  God,  had,  at 
last,  put  an  end  to  his  forbearance,  and,  in  his  wrath,  he  had  cast 
down  the  dragon  and  his  angels ;  for  his  martjTS  "  loved  not  their 
lives  unto  the  death;"  they  chose  rather  to  die  than  to  deny  their 
Master  and  abandon  his  word  (compare  this  passage  with  the  letter 


13^  COMMENTARY. 

to  the  Church  in  Smyi'iia,  2  :  8-11,  and  with  the  fifth  and  sixth 
seals,  6  : 9-17) :  for  that  cause,  he  delivered  them  from  their 
enemies. 

*' Therefore  rejoice,  ye  heavens,  and  ye  that  dwell  in  them  I" 
Rejoice,  0  empire,  freed  from  the  bondage  of  Satan  !  Rejoice,  ye 
inhabitants  of  this  empire,  become  Christian  !  Enjoy,  in  peace, 
the  liberty  which  the  Lord,  the  Captain  of  your  salvation,  has 
given  you  !  But,  ^'  woe  to  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
sea  I"  Woe  to  those  who  shall  inhabit  the  Empire,  when  the  feet 
and  toes  of  the  great  image  of  Nebuchadnezzar  shall  be  "  part  of 
potter's  clay,  and  part  of  iron''  (Dan.  2  :  31—45),  that  is,  when  the 
earthly  religion,  popery,  shall  be  united  with  the  civil  powers, 
represented  here  by  the  "  sea,''  the  emblem  of  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world.  Woe,  then,  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdoms, 
raised  up  from  the  ruins  of  the  empire,  in  which  the  spiritual  and 
civil  power, — the  earth  and  the  sea, — shall  be  in  the  hands  of 
Antichrist !  For  the  papal  persecutions  shall  be  more  cruel  than 
the  pagan,  in  which  your  brethren  were  slaughtered.  ^'  For  the 
devil  is  come  down  unto  you,  having  great  wrath ;  because  he 
knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short  time,"  1260  years,  which  are 
but  an  instant,  in  comparison  with  the  eternal  torments  which 
await  him.  These  words,  "  the  devil  is  come  down  unto  you, 
having  great  wrath,"  indicate  that,  when  the  Church  and  State, — 
the  earth  and  the  sea, — shall  be  united  together,  the  devil  will 
make  use  of  all  his  stratagems  of  fury  and  cruelty  to  devour  the 
saints  of  the  Lord.  He  will  have  at  his  command,  armies  to 
exterminate  the  seed  of  the  woman,  and  covetous  and  cruel  monks, 
scattered  throughout  the  cities  and  villages,  to  hunt  the  servants 
of  the  Lord,  and  destroy  them  in  the  torture  and  at  the  stake  of 
the  Inquisition.  But,  until  he  has  prepared  this  masterpiece  of 
cruelty,  he  will  invent  some  other  means  to  deprive  the  Church  of 
her  temples,  of  the  Christian  dignities  and  privileges,  and  to  oblige 
her  to  fly  into  the  wilderness  to  escape  from  his  fury. 

V.  13-17.  "  And  when  the  dragon  saw  that  he  was  cast  unto  the  earth,  he 
persecuted  the  woman  which  brought  forth  the  man  child.  And  to  the 
woman  were  given  two  wings  of  a  great  eagle,  that  she  might  lly  into  the 
wilderness,  into  her  place,  where  she  is  nourished  for  a  time,  and  times,  and 
half  a  time,  from  the  face  of  the  serpent.  And  the  serpent  cast  out  of  his 
mouth  water  as  a  flood  after  the  woman,  that  he  might  cause  her  to  be  car- 
ried away  of  the  flood.  And  the  earth  helped  the  woman,  and  the  earth 
opened  her  mouth,  and  swallowed  up  the  Hood  which  the  dragon  cast  out 
of  his  mouth.  And  the  dragon  was  wroth  with  the  woman,  and  went  to 
make  war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed,  which  keep  the  commandments  of 
God,  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ." 


COMMENTARY.  131 

Though  the  description  of  the  ^^  man  child"  (verse  5),  cannot  be 
applied  to  any  one  but  Jesus  Christ,  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  ap- 
plied by  the  prophet  to  every  Christian,  born  of  God  by  faith  in 
Christ,  and  especially  to  Constantine,  the  instrumentality  made  use 
of  to  deliver  his  Church.  "  When  the  dragon  saw  that  he  was  cast 
unto  the  earth,  he  persecuted  the  woman."  Two  years  after  the 
fall  of  paganism,  Arius  denied  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
taught  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  God.  This  heresy,  which  de- 
stroys the  foundations  of  Christianity,  took  away  the  peace  out  of 
the  Church.  It  was  condemned  as  a  heresy,  or  proclaimed  by  the 
councils,  as  the  true  doctrine  of  the  Church,  according  as  it  was 
condemned  or  maintained  by  the  emperors ;  and,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  sixth  century,  Arianism  had  become  the  predominant  reli- 
gion in  many  countries  of  Asia,  Africa,  and  Europe.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  to  be  noticed  that,  as  soon  as  Justinian  had  promoted,  by 
a  decree,  the  Roman  bishop  to  the  supremacy  over  his  colleagues, 
this  heresy  fell,  at  the  same  time,  and  appeared  again  in  15ol,  to 
take  from  the  Reformation  what  was  lost  by  popery.  Servet  was, 
in  the  Reformation,  the  instrumentality  made  use  of,  to  infect  it, 
as  Arius  had  been  in  the  primitive  Church.  When  the  devil  is 
turned  out  from  a  stronghold,  he  invades  as  soon  another.  The 
following  year,  in  316,  the  Douatists  disturbed  also  the  peace  of 
the  Church,  and  Pelagius  and  Nestorius  came  soon  after,  as  well 
as  the  Collyridians,  who  deified  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  worshipped 
her  as  the  Queen  of  Heaven.  The  Emperor  Julian  came  in  362, 
and  opened  again  the  temples  of  paganism ;  and,  in  his  quality  of 
philosopher,  he  began  a  persecution  of  a  different  nature  from  the 
bloody  ones,  supposing  that  contempt  and  secret  oppression  would 
accomplish  what  the  bloody  persecutions  of  the  pagan  emperors 
had  been  unable  to  accomplish.  These  heresies  undermined  the 
fundamental  doctrines  of  Christianity;  the  temples  were  invaded 
by  molten  images ;  prayers  were  addressed  to  the  saints,  and  Satan 
was  again  the  god  of  the  empire.  About  425,  the  Church  of  Jesus 
ceased  to  be  an  assembly  of  servants  of  Christ :  her  members  scat- 
tered everywhere  in  the  cities  and  villages,  and  in  the  valleys  of 
Piedmont,  held  no  office  either  in  the  State  or  in  the  Church,  in- 
vaded by  Satan's  dependants.  The  Church  was  carried  upon  the 
wings  of  Providence,  as  with  ^'  the  wings  of  a  great  eagle,"  and  fled 
into  the  wilderness,  to  live  there  in  a  secret  obscurity,  and  receive 
the  spiritual  manna  from  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  as  the  seven  thou- 
sand men  of  old,  who  did  not  kneel  before  Baal. 

The  devil,  fearing  that  the  Church  would  escape  from  destruc- 
tion in  living  in  obscurity,  "cast  out  of  his  mouth  (paganism)  water 
as  a  flood  ai'ter  the  woman  (barbarians  after  the  Church,  17  :  15), 


132  COMMENTARY. 

that  lie  might  cause  her  to  be  carried  away  of  the  flood  ;"  that  is, 
that  the  hordes  of  barbarians,  overrunning  the  country,  in  which  the 
name  of  Jesus  was  known  and  adored,  might  oblige  the  conquered 
to  receive  their  laws  and  worship  their  gods,  and  destroy  entirely  the 
Church  of  the  Lord.     But  he  was  mistaken  in  his  expectation. 

"  The  earth  helped  the  woman,  and  the  earth  opened  her  mouth 
(the  worldly  religion  opened  her  pale),  and  swallowed  up  the  flood 
(baptized  these  barbarians  and  incorporated  them  into  the  Church) 
which  the  dragon  cast  out  of  his  mouth,' ^  out  of  idolatrous 
countries.  In  that  manner,  the  Christian  name  was  held  in  honor 
among  them,  though  they  were  ignorant  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  and  the  Church  of  the  Lord  was  enabled,  under  this  shadow 
of  Christianity,  to  profess  freely  the  doctrines  of  true  Christianity. 
Then,  "  the  dragon  was  wroth  with  the  woman,  and  went  to  make 
war  with  the  remnant  of  her  seed,  which  keep  the  commandments 
of  Grod,  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ." 

We  may  infer  from  the  means  which  the  devil  employs  to  de- 
stroy the  Church,  that  she  had  already  fled  into  the  wilderness, 
when  the  Roman  Empire  was  invaded  by  the  barbarians.  And, 
it  is  evident  also  that,  when  the  witnesses  had  ascended  up  to  the 
throne  of  England,  they  were  no  longer  living  in  the  wilderness. 
They  enjoyed  civil  and  religious  privileges ;  they  held  offices  in 
the  state  and  church;  and  the  gentiles  did  not  tread  any  longer 
underfoot  the  holy  city,  either  in  England  or  in  the  countries  where 
Protestantism  had  been  definitively  introduced.  Consequently,  it 
was  about  425,  that  the  Church  fled  into  the  wilderness,  to  pro- 
test, in  sackcloth,  against  the  overwhelming  errors  and  idolatry. 
The  devil  having  failed  to  destroy  the  Church  with  the  flood  of  his 
barbarians,  cast  out  of  his  mouth,  taken  for  the  idolatrous  religion, 
of  which  he  is  the  author,  he  went  to  make  war  with  the  scattered 
remnants  of  her  children  :  and  to  find  them  out  in  their  most  secret 
retirement,  and  in  any  condition,  here  is,  in  the  following  chapter, 
the  masterpiece  which  he  invented,  and  which  we  have,  in  advance, 
denominated  "  the  kingdom  of  Antichrist." 


COMMENTARY.  133 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE     MASTERPIECE     OF     SATAN UNION     OF     THE     STATE    AND 

CHURCH,    V.    1-10 THE    EMPIRE   OF   ANTICHRIST,    V.  11-17 — 

THE  NUMBER   666,    V.   18. 

/.    The  State. 

V.  1-4.  "  And  I  stood  upon  the  sand  of  the  sea,  and  saw  a  beast  rise  up 
out  of  the  sea,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  upon  his  horns  ten 
crowns,  and  upon  his  heads  the  name  of  blasphemy.  And  the  beast  which 
I  saw  was  like  unto  a  leopard,  and  his  feet  were  as  the  feet  of  a  bear,  and 
his  mouth  as  the  mouth  of  a  lion  :  and  the  dragon  gave  him  his  power,  and 
his  seat,  and  great  authority.  And  I  saw  one  of  his  heads  as  it  were  wounded 
to  death ;  and  his  deadly  wound  was  healed :  and  all  the  world  wondered 
after  the  beast.  And  they  worshipped  the  dragon  which  gave  power  i.mto 
the  beast :  and  they  worshipped  the  beast,  saying.  Who  is  hke  unto  the 
beast  ?  who  is  able  to  make  war  with  him  ?" 

The  sand  of  the  sea,  upon  wliicli  the  prophet  stood,  represents  a 
convenient  place  from  which  he  could  contemplate  the  revolutions 
of  the  empires  of  the  earth. 

The  four  great  monarchies,  which  were  to  succeed  one  another, 
from  Nebuchadnezzar  to  the  reign  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  represented 
by  the  prophet  Daniel  (7  :  3-27),  under  the  emblems  of  beasts : 
that  of  the  Chaldeans,  under  that  of  a  lion  ;  that  of  the  Modes  and 
Persians,  under  that  of  a  bear ;  that  of  the  Grreeks  or  Alexander, 
under  that  of  a  leopard ;  and  that  of  the  Romans,  under  the  em- 
blem of  a  dreadful  and  terrible  beast,  diverse  from  the  others,  and 
having  ten  horns  (the  emblem  of  strength  and  power),  which  are, 
he  says,  ten  kings  that  shall  arise  out  of  this  kingdom ;  and  an- 
other, figured  by  another  little  horn  which  came  up  among  them, 
shall  rise  after  them,  and  he  shall  be  diverse  from  the  first,  being  a 
king-priest.  These  beasts,  or  kingdoms  deprived  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  true  God,  ^'rise  up  out  of  the  sea,''  which  is  the  emblem  of 
the  commotions  of  the  empires  of  the  earth. 

It  is  evident  that  all  the  emblems  of  the  beast,  spoken  of  in  this 
passage,  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  fourth  beast  of  Daniel,  repre- 
senting the  Roman  Empire.  And,  when  it  is  said  that  the  beast 
was  ''  like  unto  a  leopard,  and  his  feet  as  the  feet  of  a  bear,  and 
his  mouth  as  the  mouth  of  a  lion,"  the  prophet  shows  us  that 
this  beast  represents  the  monarchy,  which  succeeded  to  that  of  the 
Greeks,  to  that  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  to  that  of  the 

12 


134  COMMENTARY. 

Chaldeans  ;  that  it  was  like  to  that  of  Alexander  by  the  rapidity 
of  its  conquests  ;  to  that  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  by  its  solidity; 
and  to  that  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  by  its  strength  and  bravery. 
Therefore,  that  it  united  the  rapidity  of  the  first  by  its  conquests, 
the  solidity  of  the  second,  and  the  strength  and  bravery  of  the  third. 

The  beast  had  "  seven  heads  and  ten  horns,  and  upon  his  horns 
ten  crowns,  and  upon  his  heads  the  name  of  blasphemy;"  that  is, 
"the  Roman  Church,  the  mistress  and  mother  of  all  the  churches" 
(17  :  5),  blasphemously  called  "  the  Christian  religion,"  while  it 
persecuted  and  destroyed  Christianity  and  its  professors.  "The 
seven  heads"  are  mountains,  on  which  sitteth  the  great  city,  which 
reigneth  over  the  kings  of  the  earth  (see  17  :9-14);  and  these 
mountains  are  "  the  mounts  Palatinus,  Aventinus,  Coelius,  Capito- 
linus,  Esquilinus,  Quirinalis,  and  Yiminalis,"  upon  which  Rome 
sitteth.  The  prophet  adds,  "there  are  seven  kings,"  seven  crowns 
upon  his  heads  (12  :  8),  or  forms  of  government :  namely,  kings, 
consulsj  decemvirs,  tribunes,  dictators,  emperors,  exarchs  or  dukes : 
five  are  fallen,  and  one  is  (emperors),  and  the  other  is  not  yet  come 
(exarchs)  and  when  he  cometh,  he  must  continue  a  short  space. 
"  Having  ten  horns,"  which  are  ten  kings,  or  kingdoms,  which 
shall  arise  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Roman  Empire,  after  having  de- 
stroyed it;  they  are,  1st,  the  Franks,  a  people  from  Westphalia; 
2d, ,  the  Goths,  divided  into  Ostrogoths,  or  Eastern  Goths,  living 
in  Thracia,  and  into  Visigoths  or  Western  G-oths ;  3d,  the  Bur- 
gundians,  a  people  from  the  countries  about  the  entrance  of  the 
Vistula  River;  4th,  the  Anglo-Saxons,  who  settled  in  England; 
5th,  the  x\lains,  who  had  settled  in  Spain,  where  they  were  de- 
stroyed in  418 ;  6th,  the  Vandals,  who  having  given  their  name 
to  "  Andalousia,"  a  corruption  from  Vandalousia,  were  obliged  to 
abandon  Spain,  and  went  to  Africa  ;  7th,  the  Suevi,  who  settled  in 
Portugal ;  8th,  the  Huns  or  Tartars,  who  having  ravaged,  as  the 
Lombards,  the  North  of  Italy,  settled  in  the  islands  scattered  in  the 
Venetian  Sea,  or  Pannonia ;  9th,  the  Lombards,  in  Italy;  and  10th, 
the  Heruli,  a  people  from  Prussia,  settled  in  Italy,  with  the  Lom- 
bards and  Ostrogoths.  Germany  was  inhabited  by  men  of  every 
one  of  these  nations ;  and,  for  that  reason,  the  inhabitants  were 
called  "  AUmans"  (all  men),  that  is,  men  of  all  nations. 

"  And  the  dragon  gave  him  his  power,  and  his  seat,  and  great 
authority."  The  dragon,  or  Satan,  is  the  prince  of  this  world,  and 
he  has  all  power  over  men,  covetous  of  riches  and  grandeur.  The 
city  of  Eome,  in  which  he  had  his  seat,  in  its  renowned  capitol, 
had  long  reigned  over  the  world.  Satan  gave  it,  for  the  seat  of 
this  new  empire,  which  the  prophet  saw  rising  up  out  of  the  sea, 
and  besides  this,  he  gave  it  "  great  authority,"  such  as  may  be  ob- 


COMMENTARY.  135 

tained  by  superstition,  fanaticism,  imposture,  lying  wonders  and 
infernal  policy.  ^'  And  I  saw  one  of  his  heads  as  it  were  wounded 
to  death  :"  this  deadly  wound  cannot  be  an  emblem  of  idolatry, 
destroyed  by  Constantino,  and  healed  by  popery ;  for  the  question 
is  not  of  the  head  of  the  "  beast,"  but  of  one  of  his  seven  heads, 
representing  the  seven  forms  of  government  of  the  Roman  Empire : 
and  this  head,  wounded  to  death  by  the  barbarians,  was  that  of 
the  emperors,  under  Momillus,  called  by  derision  ^'  Augustalus." 
But  ''  his  deadly  wound  was  healed,"  not  by  the  title  of  emperor, 
which  was  given  to  Charlemagne,  in  800 ;  but  by  the  ten  barbarian 
peoples,  who  had  destroyed  it,  and  who,  with  the  ancient  inhabi- 
tants, established  ten  kingdoms  out  of  its  ruins,  as  it  is  indicated 
by  the  "  ten  crowns,"  which  are  upon  the  horns  of  the  beast.  The 
prophet  will  soon  tell  us  how  the  wound  was  healed;  but,  as  the 
explanation  of  this  master-piece  of  Satan  is  long,  he  tells  us  before- 
hand, that  "  all  the  world  wondered  after  the  beast :"  all  carnally- 
minded  men,  all  nominal  Christians,  and  children  of  rebellion, 
astonished  at  Satan's  master-piece,  abandoned  Jesus  and  his  word, 
to  worship  the  dragon,  who  gave  unto  the  beast  power,  riches,  reli- 
gion, and  infernal  policy.  They  worshipped  also,  the  beast,  the 
civil  power  of  the  ten  new  kings,  whose  unchristian  laws  they 
obeyed  rather  than  the  word  of  (lod,  saying :  "  Who  is  like  unto 
the  beast  ?  Who  is  able  to  make  war  with  him  ?"  Mark,  that  we 
have  seen  only  the  corpse  of  the  beast  with  his  ten  horns,  and 
ten  crowns.  The  prophet  will  tell  us,  now,  how  Satan  gave  him 
life,  and  that  formidable  power,  which  all  the  world  contemplated 
with  astonishment,  without  seeing  that  this  wonderful  work  was 
nothing  else  than  a  league  of  the  State  and  Church,  combined  to 
destroy  the  libert}^  of  the  people,  and  to  rule  over  them  with  tyranny. 


//.   Union  of  the  State  and  Church. 

V.  5-7.  "And  there  was  given  unto  him  a  mouth,  si:)eaking  great  things 
and  blasphemies  ;  and  power  was  given  unto  him  to  continue  forty  and  two 
months.  And  he  opened  his  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to  blaspheme 
his  name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and  them  that  dwell  in  heaven.  And  it  was 
given  unto  him  to  make  war  with  the  saints,  and  to  overcome  ihern ;  and 
power  was  given  him  over  all  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations." 

''There  was  given  unto  him  a  mouth  speaking  great  things  and 
blasphemies."  This  mouth  is  that  of  the  little  horn  (power,  king), 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  (7  :  8,  20,  25).  The  words,  which  proceed 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God,  are  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the 
religion  of  God.     Therefore,  when  it  is  said  (12  :  15)  that  the 


136  COMMENTARY. 

'^  dragon  cast  out  of  liis  mouth  water  as  a  flood  after  the  woman" 
(a  deluge  of  barbarians  after  the  Church),  the  word  "  mouth"  is 
taken  for  paganism,  the  religion  of  Satan.  It  is  not  said  here, 
whether  this  mouth,  or  religion,  which  was  given  the  ten  kingdoms, 
which  rose  up  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Roman  Empire,  belonged 
either  to  God,  or  to  Satan ;  but  the  great  things  and  the  blasphe- 
mies, spoken  by  the  mouth,  show  us  that  it  is  the  mouth  of  the  second 
beast,  who  "  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb  (two  powers  like  Jesus 
Christ,  the  spiritual,  and  temporal),  and  he  spake  as  a  dragon,"  or 
Satan  (verse  11).  This  mouth  was  "  speaking  great  things  and 
blasphemies,"  such  as  to  boast  to  be  "  vicar  of  God, — to  be  clothed 
with  the  power  of  forgiving  sins, — to  open  or  shut  heaven  at  his 
will, — to  form  with  some  dough  the  same  Son  of  God,  who  was  born 
of  the  Virgin  Mary, — to  entitle  oneself  '  Holiness' — God  on  earth 
— the  King  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  being  above  the  word  of 
God,  and  having  power  to  order  that  vice  should  be  virtue,  and 
virtue,  vice."  These  kings,  to  whom  such  a  religion  was  given, 
received  power  to  continue  forty  and  two  months ;  that  is,  1260 
years,  as  it  is  indicated  (12  :  14)  under  the  emblems  of  a  time 
(a  year,  making  twelve  months),  and  times,  and  half  a  time  (Dan. 
7  :  25) ;  that  is,  three  years  and  a  half,  which  make,  according  to 
the  revolution  of  the  moon,  1260  3-ears. 

Not  only  this  mouth  speaks  great  things  and  blasphemies  against 
God  and  his  name,  but  it  is  said  that  the  beast  opened  also  his 
mouth,  to  ''blaspheme  his  tabernacle  (the  emblem  of  his  Church), 
and  them  that  dwell  in  heaven,"  who  live  in  the  kingdoms  formed 
out  of  the  provinces  of  the  empire,  and  who  refuse  to  worship 
(obey)  the  beast,  and  profess  his  idolatrous  religion.  But  it  was 
given  unto  him  to  make  war  with  the  saints  (Christians,  1  Cor. 
1:2;  Eph.  1  :  1),  and  to  overcome  them  :  and  power  was  given 
him  over  all  kindreds,  and  tongues,  and  nations ;  that  is,  over  all 
the  different  nations  of  barbarians,  who  had  destroyed  the  Roman 
Empire.  But  how  did  they  blaspheme  the  Church  of  God,  and 
the  Christians  who  dwelt  in  their  kingdoms  !  They  charged  them 
with  imaginary  crimes;  "  they  are,"  the  Jesuits  say,  "discontented 
people  and  enemies  of  their  country ;  they  wish  to  overthrow  the 
throne  and  the  altar;  and  to  exterminate  such  heretics  is  to  offer 
to  God  the  most  agreeable  sacrifice.  The  State  and  the  Church, 
must  be  set  free  from  such  pestiferous  enemies."  So,  they  blas- 
pheme the  tabernacle  (the  Church)  of  God  and  the  Christians,  who 
"  dwell  in  heaven"  (in  the  kingdom),  without  receiving  its  religion. 
They  promise  heaven,  indulgences,  to  the  wild  savages,  who  are 
ready  to  slaughter  the  servants  of  the  Lord.  The  murderer, 
Dominic,  was  canonized  for  having  caused  the  destniction  of  the 


COMMENTARY.  137 

Albigenses.  It  -was  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet,  which  ordered 
the  slaughter  of  the  saints,  with  whom  it  was  given  to  the  beast 
(the  civil  powers)  to  make  war.  Pope  Innocent  VIII.  ordered  the 
crusade  against  the  Waldenses ;  Gregory  XIII.  placed  in  the 
Vatican  a  picture,  under  which  was  this  inscription  :  ''  The  sovereign 
pontiff  approves  the  carnage  of  Coligny.''  He  ordered  a  solemn 
procession  from  St.  Peter's  Church,  to  St.  Louis,  and  stamped 
medals  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day. 
It  was  a  bull  of  Clement  Till,  which  armed  the  Irish,  and  caused 
the  massacre  of  two  hundred  thousand  Protestants.  The  Jesuit 
Peters,  was  the  confessor  of  the  persecutor  James  II.  of  England  ; 
the  Jesuits,  Letellier  and  Lachaise,  directed  the  conscience  of 
Louis  XIY.,  and  the  Cardinal  of  Birague  was  his  counsellor.  The 
Dominican  friar,  Torquemada,  confessor  o*f  the  Queen  of  Spain, 
Isabella,  when  grand-inquisitor,  prosecuted,  in  four  years,  sixty  thou- 
sand persons,  more  than  four  thousand  of  whom,  were  burnt  alive, 
as  heretics.  Philip  III.,  naturally  mild  and  good,  being  spectator 
of  an  auto-da-fe  (act  of  faith),  pitied  the  fate  of  the  unfortunate 
men  who  were  abandoned  to  the  flames,  and  he  shed  tears.  The  grand 
inquisitor  took  offence  at  the  tenderness  which  he  showed  for  their 
misfortune,  and  he  did  not  blush  to  require  of  this  prince,  that  he 
should  be  bled,  and  that  his  blood  should  be  burnt  by  the  execu- 
tioner. The  coming  of  the  kings  of  Spain  to  the  throne,  was  com- 
monly celebrated  by  pompous  autos-da-fe,  which  were  for  the  people, 
formed,  from  infancy,  according  to  the  will  of  these  bloody  men, 
festival  days,  as  were,  for  the  heathens,  the  combats  of  gladiators  ; 
— such  are  some  of  the  bitter  fruits  of  the  masterpiece  of  Satan  : 
''  The  union  of  State  and  Church.'' 


///.   Vengeance  of  the  Lord. 

V.  8-10.  "  And  all  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  shall  worship  him,  whose 
names  are  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  of  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world.  If  any  man  have  an  ear,  let  him  hear.  He  that  leadeth 
into  captivity  shall  go  into  captivity:  he  that  killeth  with  the  sword  must  be 
killed  with  the  sword.     Here  is  the  patience  and  the  faith  of  the  saints.'' 

"All  that  dwell  upon  the  earth  (who  do  not  mind  heavenly 
things  and  the  word  of  God,  as  those  who  dwell  in  heaven),  shall 
worship  him,"  that  is,  shall  admire  and  obey  this  constitution  of 
the  State,  united  with  an  apostate  and  worldly  Church.  But  it  is 
because  their  names  are  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  death  was  decreed,  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
for  the  ransom  of  the  elect.    Though  the  mouth  was  speaking  great 

12* 


138  COAiMENTARY. 

things^  and  power  was  given  unto  the  beast  over  all  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  and  nations, — over  France,  England,  Ireland,  Grermany, 
Spain,  Portugal,  and  Italy, — there  were,  among  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth,  some  faithful,  dwelling  in  heaven,  minding  heavenly 
things,  who  did  not  worship  the  beast,  or  admire  the  great  things 
spoken  by  the  mouth,  which  was  given  him.  They  were  this  small 
number  of  men  called  ^^ obstinate  heretics;"  because  they  refused 
to  admire  and  obey  the  beast  as  the  multitude ;  and  they  were  the 
elect,  whose  names  had  been  written  in  the  book  of  life  of  the 
Lamb,  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  These  servants  of 
the  Lord,  had  a  soul,  conscience,  and  a  God ;  and  they  chose  the 
most  cruel  death  rather  than  a  base  apostacy,  and  the  liberty  of 
the  Lord,  rather  than  the  shameful  bondage  of  Satan,  though  its 
fetters  would  be  made  with  gold  and  enriched  with  precious  stones. 
Kings  may  easily  lead  them  into  captivity  and  kill  them  ;  Jezebel 
may  say  to  Ahab  :  "  Arise,  eat  bread,  and  let  thine  heart  be  merry : 
I  will  give  thee  the  vineyard  of  Naboth"  (1  K.  21  :  7) ;  nominal 
Christians  may  enlist  among  Crusaders  to  slaughter  them,  or  rejoice 
at  the  sight  of  their  agonies  in  these  bloody  festival  days,  called 
"  auto-da-fe."  Here  is  what  the  Lord  says,  if  they  have  an  ear  to 
hear  :  "  He  that  leadeth  into  captivity,  shall  go  into  captivity :  he 
that  killeth  with  the  sword,  must  be  killed  with  the  sword." 

From  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and  the  dragoonings 
by  which  it  was  followed,  Louis  XIV.  saw  all  calamities  fall  upon 
his  kingdom,  and  his  great  grandson,  Louis  XYL,  brought  his  head 
to  the  scaffold.  The  wars  among  the  popes  themselves  ;  their  wars 
of  thirty  years  with  Germany ;  the  excommunications  of  the  kings; 
the  millions  of  crusaders  destroyed  in  the  East;  the  torrents  of 
blood  shed  by  Napoleon,  in  France,  Italy,  Germany,  and  Spain, 
were  as  many  plagues,  which  the  Almighty  brought  upon  these 
people,  to  avenge  the  blood  of  his  martyrs,  and  there  is  yet  to  come 
the  vintage  of  his  wrath,  which  will  bring  to  an  end  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth.  The  elect  know  that  they  have  a  powerful  avenger 
in  heaven  :  therefore,  they  have  patience  in  persecutions  and  suf- 
ferings ;  and  their  faith  triumphs  in  spite  of  their  executioners. 

Until  now,  we  have  seen  only  the  constitution  of  the  civil  and 
rclijiious  powers,  united  together  to  make  war  with  the  saints:  we 
have  now  to  examine  a  second  beast,  which  is  as  the  soul  of  the 
first,  and  which  is  sj)oken  of  by  Daniel,  as  "the  little  horn  of  the 
fourth  beast,  diverse  from  the  first,  being  a  king-priest  (Dan.  7  : 
20),  and  whose  look  was  more  stout  than  his  fellows." 


CO  31  ME  N  TAR  Y.  139 


I.  Antichrist — his  description. 

V.  11.  "And    I  beheld  another  beast  coming   up   out  of  the  earth;  and  he 
had  two  horns  hke  a  lamb,  and  he  spake  as  a  dragon." 

A  beast  is  a  monarchy  without  understanding,  and  enemy  of  the 
word  of  God  (Dan.  7  :  23).  This  second  beast  does  not  come  up, 
as  the  others,  out  of  the  sea,  the  emblem  of  civil  revolutions,  but 
^'out  of  the  earth,'^  the  miry  clay,  mixed  with  the  iron  (civil  power), 
of  the  feet  and  toes  of  the  great  image  of  Nebuchadnezzar  (Dan. 
2  :  31-45),  which  represents  a  worldly  corrupted  religion,  teaching 
commandments  of  men  (see  the  Church  of  Pergamos,  2  :  12-17). 
This  beast,  which  comes  out  of  a  worldly  religion,  "  had  two  horns 
like  a  lamb,'^  like  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  took  away 
the  sins  of  the  world.  A  horn,  in  the  prophetic  language,  is  the 
emblem  of  strength  and  power.  Therefore,  this  beast  has  two 
powers,  as  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  a  spiritual  and  a  temporal  power; 
but,  notwithstanding  that,  ^'he  spake  as  a  dragon,"  the  devil  or 
Satan  (12  :  9);  that  is,  with  the  same  pride,  tyranny,  cruelty,  and 
teaching  the  same  idolatry,  and  lying  wonders,  to  deceive  the 
world.  Now,  these  characters  describe  perfectly,  the  Bishop  of 
Rome,  universal  bishop  from  606,  and  temporal  prince  from  756, 
when  the  King  Pepin,  gave  him  the  Ravenna's  exarchate  :  Charle- 
magne gave  him  also  the  kingdom  of  the  Lombards,  and  Louis  the 
Pious  ratified  in  his  behalf  the  possession  of  the  Roman  State ;  so 
that  the  principalities  of  the  Heruli,  Ostrogoths,  and  Lombards, 
are  the  three  horns  (powers  or  kingdoms),  which  fell  "  before  the 
little  horn  that  had  eyes  (an  infernal  policy  invented  by  bishops 
and  Jesuits),  and  a  mouth  that  spake  very  great  things,  whose  look 
was  more  stout  than  his  fellows"  (Dan.  7  :  20).  We  have  seen  pre- 
viously what  are  the  great  things  spoken  by  the  popes ;  we  know 
what  works  of  destruction  were  accomplished  at  their  command  ; 
how  the  book  of  God  has  been  proscribed,  and  the  Bible  readers 
tormented  in  dungeons,  and  burnt  at  the  stake ;  and  how  the  wor- 
ship of  pagan  devils  (souls  of  dead  men  deified),  has  been  again 
established  under  the  names  of  canonized  saints,  under  the  patron- 
age of  which,  the  temples,  cities,  and  kingdoms  have  been  placed, 
as  they  were  formerly  under  the  pagan  demigods.  Therefore, 
popedom  is  the  beast  spoken  of  here ;  the  pope  is  the  "  man  of 
sin,  the  son  of  perdition,'^  who  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  as  God, 
showing  himself  that  he  is  God  (2  Th.  2  :  4).  Now,  what  was  the 
power  of  the  beast  ?  (See  the  description  of  Antichrist,  at  the  end 
of  the  seventeenth  chapter.) 


140  C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 


II.  His  Poicer. 


V.  12,  13.  "  And  be  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast  before  him, 
and  caiiseth  the  earth  and  them  which  dwell  therein  to  worship  the  first 
beast,  whose  deadly  wound  was  healed.  And  he  doeth  great  wonders,  so 
that  he  maketh  fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight  of 
men." 

It  is  known  by  everybody  that  tlie  popes  have  claimed  the 
power  over  the  whole  world,  after  this  fair  reasoning :  "  Jesus 
Christ  gave  to  Peter  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  whoever 
gives  the  container,  gives  also  the  things  contained  in  it;  now  the 
earth  is  contained  in  the  heavens;  therefore  all  the  earth  was  given 
to  Saint  Peter;  and,  by  him,  to  his  successors."  Having  such 
titles  to  the  possession  of  the  whole  world,  the  popes  never  lost 
any  opportunity  to  exercise  this  chimerical  power  before  the  kings, 
who  were  looked  upon  as  their  vassals.  It  was  in  the  presence  of 
the  kings  of  Spain  and  Portugal  that  the  papist  inquisitors  burnt 
their  subjects;  it  was  in  the  presence  of  the  kings  of  France, 
England,  Germany,  and  Piedmont,  that  the  popes  ordered  crusades 
to  exterminate  their  subjects;  in  the  presence  of  the  kings,  they 
extorted  the  money  of  the  subjects  of  their  kingdoms;  they 
enforced  upon  them  the  keeping  of  their  fasting  and  festival  days, 
and  forbid  or  permitted  such  marriages  as  they  pleased.  The  tribu- 
nals themselves  were  subjected  to  their  orders  ;  and  kings,  as  well 
as  their  subjects,  were  exposed  to  their  excommunications.  There- 
fore the  second  beast  (popedom)  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the 
first  beast  (civil  powers)  before  him.  Again,  he  "■  causeth  the 
earth  and  them  which  dwell  therein  to  worship  (obey)  the  first 
beast,  whose  deadly  wound  was  healed."  These  words  may  signify 
that  they  preach  obedience  to  the  kings,  who  are  looked  upon  by 
the  popes  as  ^'  kings  by  divine  law,"  when  they  have  received 
their  crowns  at  their  hands.  But  they  signify  rather  that  the 
beast  causeth  all  nominal  Christians,  and  those  who  live  in  the 
compass  of  his  dominion,  to  worship  (to  receive  and  obey)  a  similar 
form  and  constitution  as  that  of  the  Roman  Empire  which  had  been 
destroyed;  that  the  popes  should  be  the  emperors  ;  and  the  diverse 
kingdoms,  formed  out  of  its  ruins,  the  provinces  of  this  new  empire, 
which  was  an  image  of  the  first,  and  whose  wound  (destruction) 
"  was  healed"  by  this  form  and  constitution.  "  And  he  doeth 
great  wonders,  so  that  he  maketh  fire  come  down  from  heaven  on 
the  earth  in  the  sight  of  men."  This  fire  represents  the  persecu- 
tions and  anathemas,  called  in  ¥rench  ^'  Lcs  Jo ud res  du  Vatican'^ 
(the  thunders  of  the  Vatican).     jMcn  were  so  blinded  and  supersti- 


COMMENTARY.  141 

tious  that  they  supposed  that  these  papal  anathemas  were  scourges, 
or  fire,  coming  down  from  heaven ;  that  God  was  truly  condemning 
to  hell  those  who  were  under  the  papal  curses.  So,  when  King 
Robert  of  France  was  excommunicated,  he  was  abandoned  by  all 
his  subjects,  and  shut  up  in  a  room,  as  a  pestilential  being,  receiv- 
ing his  food  through  a  hole  in  the  wall,  at  the  hands  of  two 
faithful  servants ;  and  yet  these  servants  passed  the  plates,  which 
he  had  handled,  through  the  fire,  to  purify  them.  Every  one 
knows  how  the  high-minded  Henry  IV.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  was 
obliged  to  come,  barefooted  and  clothed  with  an  old  sack,  and  to 
kneel,  during  three  cold  days  in  winter,  at  the  gates  of  the  castle 
of  Canossa !  Such  is  the  fire  which  the  beast  has  the  power  to 
cause  "  to  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight  of 
men  V  And  men  were  so  superstitious  that  they  could  believe  that 
these  curses  came  from  heaven ;  that  God  was  approving  and  rati- 
fying the  papal  curses  ! 


III.  His  Works. 

V.  14,  15,  "And  deoeiveth  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth  by  the  means  of 
those  miracles  which  he  had  power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast;  saying  to 
them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  that  they  should  make  an  image  to  the  beast, 
which  had  the  wound  by  a  sword,  and  did  live.  And  he  had  power  to  give 
life  unto  the  image  of  the  beast,  that  the  image  of  the  beast  should  both 
speak,  and  cause  that  as  many  as  would  not  worship  the  image  of  the  beast 
should  be  killed." 

The  miracles,  by  which  popery  deceiveth  here  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth  (in  the  compass  of  its  dominion)  are  not  the  lying 
wonders,  the  miracles  of  saints,  of  relics,  and  images,  as  walking 
and  speaking  crucifixes,  weeping  pictures,  or  coagulated  blood  of 
saints  growing  liquid  in  festival  days,  by  which  ignorant  people  are 
deceived;  but  they  are  miracles  of  this  sovereign  power  and 
tyranny,  which  the  popes  had  the  power  to  work,  as  vicars  of  God, 
before  the  kings  of  the  earth ;  "  saying  to  them  that  dwell  on  the 
earth,  that  they  should  make  an  image  to  the  beast,  which  had  the 
wound  by  a  sword,  and  did  live.''  The  inhabitants  of  the  king- 
doms which  were  under  the  papal  sway,  were  struck  with  terror  by 
these  anathemas,  and  by  the  tortures  and  stakes  of  the  Inquisition ; 
and  they  were  prevailed  upon  to  submit  themselves  to  the  papal 
power,  and  to  make  an  image  to  the  beast;  to  the  Roman  Empire 
which  they  had  destroyed  by  the  sword,  and  did  live,  having  re- 
ceived a  new  life  from  popery.  Now,  the  image  ought  to  be  like 
the  original,  which  is  the  Roman  Empire,  not  only  as  it  was  at  the 


142  COMMENTARY. 

time  of  his  destruction,  but  as  it  was  before  an  idolatrous  empire ; 
for  the  beast  rises  up  out  of  the  sea  (verse  1),  with  all  the  cha- 
racters of  the  pagan  empire,  and  receives  the  seat  and  power  of  the 
dragon.  Therefore,  this  new  empire  should  be  like  the  primitive 
one,  having  the  same  gods  and  worship,  and  enjoying  the  same 
rights,  power,  and  privileges.  So,  though  the  French,  English, 
Germans,  Spaniards,  and  other  people,  are  not  the  subjects  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  which  they  destroyed,  they  are  obliged  to  obey 
|,he  dictates  of  the  popes,  and  to  add  to  the  proper  names  of  their 
respective  kingdoms,  the  name  of  their  spiritual  bondage  "  Roman 
Catholics,"  without  being  Romans.  In  this  manner,  these  king- 
doms are  but  provinces,  and  their  kings,  the  vassals  of  the  papal 
empire,  to  which  they  are  tributaries,  and  from  which  the  bishops 
receive  their  appointment.  The  worship  of  saints,  their  mediators 
and  protectors,  the  images  and  relics,  and  its  gross  superstitions,  are 
very  similar  to  those  of  pagan  Rome  ;  and,  for  intolerance  and 
superstition,  papal  Rome  has  far  outdone  pagan  Rome.  For  ''  he 
had  power  to  give  life  (strength  and  power)  unto  the  image  of  the 
beast  (the  spiritual  papal  empire)  that  the  image  of  the  beast 
should  both  speak  (teach  its  idolatrous  religion),  and  cause  that  as 
many  as  would  not  worship  (accept  and  religiously  obey)  the  image 
of  the  beast  should  be  killed." 

The  prophet  does  not  speak,  here,  either  of  talking  graven 
images,  or  of  weeping  pictures,  but  of  the  image  of  the  beast, — of 
popery, — the  image  of  the  Roman  pagan  empire.  And,  as  its  re- 
ligion is  represented  under  the  emblem  of  "a  mouth  speaking 
great  things  and  blasphemies,"  the  word  ''speak"  means  nothing 
else,  than  that  popery  had  such  a  power,  as  to  be  permitted  not  only 
*'  to  preach  its  religion  in  every  kingdom,"  but  to  -order  crusades  to 
kill  those  who  would  not  profess  its  religion  and  obey  its  laws. 
So,  popery  was  not  satisfied  to  enjoy  the  liberty  of  worship  itself  j 
but  caused  that  as  many  as  would  not  worship  according  to  its 
inventions,  should  be  killed.  The  following  verses  will  show  what 
was  the  nature  and  cruelty  of  its  intolerance. 


IV.  His  Intolerance. 

V.  IG,  17.  "And  he  caused  all,  both  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  free 
and  bond,  to  receive  a  mark  in  their  right  hand,  or  in  their  foreheads:  and 
that  no  man  might  buy  or  sell,  save  he  that  had  the  mark,  or  the  name  of 
the  beast,  or  the  number  of  his  name." 

The  beast  spoken  of  obliged  every  man,  without  exception,  "to 
receive  a  mark  in  their  right  hand,  or  in  their  foreheads;"  that  is, 


C  0  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  143 

to  show  by  their  works, — indicated  by  their  right  hand, — and  by 
the  public  profession  of  their  rehgion, — indicated  by  the  mark  in 
their  foreheads, — that  they  belonged  to  him  as  slaves,  or  cattle 
belong  to  their  masters,  whose  mark  has  been  stamped  on  their 
bodies.  There  are  here  two  classes  of  worshippers :  the  first,  as 
the  savages,  who  have  the  images  of  their  gods  stamped  on  their 
arms,  do  everything  to  increase  the  power  of  the  beast;  and  to 
this  class  belong  the  Jesuits,  monks,  priests,  and  every  popish 
fanatic.  The  second  are  those,  who  profess  the  papal  religion, 
without  knowing  the  depths  of  Satan,  and  without  being  sold  to 
him,  soul  and  body.  There  is  yet  another  class  of  men,  indi- 
cated by  the  words,  ''the  number  of  his  name,"  which  they  have. 
They  do  not  belong  to  him,  as  slaves  to  their  master;  they  have 
not  his  mark  of  bondage ;  they  are  only  called  "  Roman  Catho- 
lics,''  as  Pascal  and  Fenelon,  who  were  born  Catholic,  but  did 
not  belong  to  popery,  either  by  their  ftiith  or  their  works.  This 
third  class  of  Catholics  is  not  included  in  the  eternal  damna- 
tion, denounced  by  an  angel  against  the  worshippers  of  the  beast 
(14  :  9-11). 

"And  no  man  could  buy  or  sell,  save  he  that  had  the  mark,  or 
the  name  of  the  beast,  or  the  number  of  his  name.'^  To  sell  and 
buy  is  to  make  use  of  a  natural  right,  which  belongs  to  all  men, 
and  without  which  society  can  stand  no  longer.  Nevertheless,  the 
Homan  Church  has  prevented  those,  whom  she  called  "  heretics,'^ 
because  they  refused  to  take  the  mark  of  her  bondage,  from  using 
this  right,  by  interdicting  the  use  of  fire  and  water;  and  yet, 
if  any  one  had,  with  them,  such  intercourse  as  is  commanded  by 
humanity  and  compassion,  he  was  himself  tormented  as  a  heretic. 
Whoever  refused  to  obey  the  usurped  power  of  the  popes,  or  to 
comply  with  the  established  Church,  was  considered  out  of  the 
protection  of  the  law,  and  exposed  to  any  legal  incapacities  and 
punishment.  It  is  an  astonishing  fact,  that  this  church  has  always 
lived  on  good  terms  with  infidels  and  atheists,  while  no  religious 
man  was  permitted  to  live  without  the  mark  of  papal  bondage, 
which  may  be  the  sign  of  the  cross,  to  which  the  prophet  makes 
allusion.  For  it  is,  according  to  their  catechisms,  the  sign  of 
Christians,  or  rather  of  Koman  Catholics.  We  read  in  history  that 
the  philosopher  Diagoras,  having  turned  an  atheist,  the  Athenians 
were  so  incensed  against  him  that  the  Areopagus,  to  which  was 
committed  the  charge  of  punishing  impiety,  as  well  as  the  other 
crimes,  offered  one  talent  for  his  head,  and  two,  if  he  were  de- 
livered alive.  Rome  has  invented  every  kind  of  torture  to  exter- 
minate the  friends  of  the  gospel ;  but  infidelity  and  impiety,  born 
in  her  pale,  enjoy  peacefully  the  delights  of  this  world,  if  they 


144  COMMENTARY. 

only  preserve  the  number  of  the  name  of  the  beast,  which  they 
received  on  their  birthday, — and  if  this  name  is  yet  unknown  to 
us,  here  it  is. 


V.  The  Name  of  the  Beast. 

V.  18.  "Here  is  wisdom.  Let  him  that  hath  understanding  count  the 
number  of  the  beast:  for  it  is  the  number  of  a  man  ;  and  his  number  is  six 
hundred  threescore  and  six." 

The  name  of  the  beast  or  kingdom  must  be  1.  The  name  of  a 
man;  2.  This  name  must  be  written  in  Grreek  letters,  and  counted 
after  the  manner  of  counting  of  the  Greeks,  for  St.  John  wrote  in 
Greek;  and  before  the  invention  of  the  Arabic  figures,  every 
nation  used  to  represent  the  numbers  with  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet.  Now,  the  Greek  name  "  Lateinos,"  which  by  the  con- 
traction of  ei  into  i,  according  to  the  use  of  the  Latins,  makes 
"  Latinus,"  the  name  of  the  founder  of  the  Latin  Empire ;  and  if 
we  look  in  a  Greek  dictionary,  for  the  respective  value  of  every 
letter  of  this  name,  we  shall  find  it  as  follows : — 

L  =  30 
a  =  1 
t  =  300 
e  =  5 
i  =  10 
n  =  50 
o  =  70 
s    =   200 

Total,     666 

The  name  "  Latinus"  (Latin),  the  king  of  Latium,  and  founder 
of  the  empire  of  the  Latins,  in  Italy,  is  therefore  the  name  sought 
for.  The  name  of  the  empire,  wounded  to  death  by  a  sword,  and 
healed  by  the  union  of  the  kings  with  the  popes  whose  vassals 
they  are,  is  the  lloman  pagan  empire,  which,  after  having  been 
destroyed  by  ten  barbarian  nations,  was  restored  by  popedom,  the 
image  of  the  first.  It  is  this  empire  which  Satan  raised  up  out 
of  its  ruins  to  destroy  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  which  rendered 
the  little  book  bitter  in  the  belly ;  it  is  this  empire,  which  men, 
deceived  by  the  chimerical  supposition  that  popery  was  the  king- 
dom of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth,  have  long  supported  for  the  misfor- 
tune of  mankind,  and  which  the  Ileformation  has  shown  to  be 
Antichristianity,  in  giving  us  again  the  word  of  God,  in  which  this 


COMMENTARY.  145 

church  is  clearly  pointed  out  with  her  errors,  idolatrous  supersti- 
tions, and  bloody  persecutions. 

If  the  characters  of  the  great  Antichrist,  described  in  this  chapter, 
are  not  yet  sufficiently  clear  to  tell  every  man,  "  Here  is  the  man  I" 
the  prophet  will  give  us  some  others  in  the  seventeenth  chapter. 
Now,  the  prophet  having  made  known  the  great  enemy  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  of  his  Church,  he  will  resume  the  course  of  the  events, 
which  he  left  off,  in  the  tenth  chapter,  after  having  given  us  the 
emblem  of  the  Ileformation,  under  the  symbol  of  a  "little  book 
open,  sweet  in  the  mouth  as  honey,  and  bitter  in  the  belly.''  The 
following  chapter  shows  us  the  progress  of  the  Reformation,  which 
shall  cause  the  ruin  of  Antichrist^  whose  emblematic  description 
we  have  just  examined. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

SONG  OF  THE  REDEEMED,  V.  1-5 — PROGRESS  OF  THE  REFORMA- 
TION, V.  6-8 CURSE  AGAINS-T  THE  WORSHIPPERS  OF  ANTI- 
CHRIST,   V.    9-13 — THE    HARVEST,    V.    14-16 — THE    VINTAGE, 

V.  17-20. 

V.  1-5.  "  And  I  looked,  and,  lo,  a  Lamb  stood  on  the  mount  Sion,  and  with 
him  an  hundred  forty  and  four  thousand,  having  his  Father's  name  written 
in  their  foreheads.  And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  as  the  voice  of  many 
waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  a  great  thunder  :  and  I  heard  the  voice  of  harpers 
harping  with  their  harps :  and  they  sung  as  it  were  a  new  song  before  the 
throne,  and  before  the  four  beasts,  and  the  elders :  and  no  man  could  learn 
that  song  but  the  hundred  and  forty  and  four  thousand,  which  were  redeemed 
from  the  earth.  These  are  they  which  were  not  defiled  with  women  ;  for 
they  are  virgins.  These  are  they  which  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever 
he  goeth.  These  were  redeemed  from  ajnong  men,  being  the  first-fruits  unto 
God  and  to  the  Lamb.  And  in  their  mouth  was  found  no  guile  :  for  they  are 
without  fault  before  the  throne  of  God." 

These  hundred  forty  and  four  thousand  servants,  standings  with 
the  Lamb,  on  the  mount  Sion,  the  type  of  the  evangelical  Church, 
are  those  who  were  sealed,  in  their  foreheads,  in  the  seventh  chapter, 
to  preserve  in  their  purity  the  doctrines  of  the  apostles,  during  the 
Dark  Ages,  and  to  hand  them  to  the  following  generations.  They 
have  "his  Father's  name  written  in  their  foreheads;"  because 
they  have  been  faithful  to  his  word,-  and  were  not  defiled  by  idolatry 
and  superstition,  as  the  multitude  of  men,  who  were  deceived  by 


146  COMMENTARY. 

the  chimerical  unity  of  all  the  members  of  the  church  under  one 
chief  on  the  earth.  And,  they  appear  here,  at  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  singing  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  to  give  the  Reformers 
the  hand  of  fellowship  (3  :  7-13). 

When  the  Reformation  was  proclaimed  by  the  monk  Luther,  it 
was  "  as  the  voice  of  a  great  thunder,^'  for  the  high  dignitaries  of 
the  Roman  Church,  whose  anathemas,  ''her  seven  thunders  and 
the  fire  which  the  beast  maketh  to  come  down  from  heaven  on  the 
earth  in  the  sight  of  men,''  proved,  this  time,  to  be  powerless. 
The  friends  of  liberty  heard  this  event  with  joy  and  gratitude,  and 
the  rest  of  the  scattered  Christians,  the  Waldenses,  Lollards,  Mora- 
vians, and  Bohemians  celebrated  this  deliverance  of  the  Lord  with 
songs  of  joy  and  thanksgivings,  rejDresented  by  ''the  voice  of  harpers 
harping  with  their  harps.''  It  was  the  awakening  of  the  people 
and  the  first  shaking  of  the  papal  throne,  indicated  by  "  the  voice 
of  many  waters  (peoples  and  nations,  17  :  15),  and  the  voice  of  a 
great  thunder." 

"  And  they  sung  as  it  were  a  new  song  before  the  throne,  and 
before  the  four  beasts  (the  representatives  of  the  militant  Church,  as 
the  elders  represent  the  triumphant:  see,  7  : 6-8),  and  the  elders; 
and  no  man  could  learn  that  song  but  the  hundred  forty-four  thou- 
sand, which  were  redeemed  from  the  earth."  Mark  here  that, 
without  God,  we  can  do  nothing.  His  word  is  a  sealed  book  in  the 
hands  of  a  learned  man,  or  as  a  book  in  the  hands  of  an  unlearned 
man,  who  cannot  read  (Is.  29  :  10-12).  To  the  eyes  of  those  who 
have  been  seduced  by  the  enchantments  of  popery,  this  song  of  the 
redeemed,  which  we  have  seen  (7  :  10—12)  proclaiming  that  salva- 
tion comes  from  God  and  the  Lamb,  seems  to  be  "a  new  song,"  a 
new  religion,  though  it  be  the  everlasting  gospel,  "  the  faith  which 
was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints."  Therefore,  this  song  is  heard 
before  the  throne  of  God,  and  before  the  representatives  of  the 
militant  and  of  the  triumphant  Church ;  but  the  redeemed  of  the 
Lord  are  not  permitted  to  sing  it  before  the  papal  throne,  without 
being  slaughtered  and  burnt,  as  heretics,  by  the  blinded  disciples 
of  popery. 

They  cannot  understand  Protestantism  with  its  simple  and 
truthful  worship,  its  churches  without  ornaments  and  statues,  its 
opposition  to  the  papal  doctrines  and  power,  its  salvation  by  grace 
and  not  by  works.  They  are  encircled  with  this  scholastic  reason- 
ing :  "  We  must  believe  all  that  can  be  proved  by  the  holy  fathers, 
councils,  decisions  of  the  sovereign  pontiffs,  tradition,  and  constant 
practice  of  the  church,"  and  sometimes,  they  add,  "  by  the  holy 
Scriptures ;"  and  so,  they  wander,  as  in  a  labyrinth,  in  which  they 
cannot  find  any  place  to  get  out  of  their  errors  and  to  arrive  at  the 


COMMENTARY.  147 

truth.  They  do  not  think  that  truth  is  older  than  the  corrupt 
sources  from  which  they  draw  their  doctrines  ;  and  that,  to  find  the 
truth,  they  ought  to  trace  it  back  to  its  origin,  which  is  the  word 
of  Grod.  I  have  seen,  hundreds  of  times,  the  confutation  of  the 
false  interpretation  of  the  texts,  ^'  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  Church ;"  and,  "  If  he  neglect  to  hear  the 
church,  let  him  be  unto  thee  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican'' 
(Matt.  16  :  18  ;  18  :  17),  upon  which  they  build  up  all  the  papal 
edifice ;  and,  though  these  confutations  be  irresistible,  they,  as  men 
who  have  no  ear  to  understand,  incessantly  repeat :  "Jesus  Christ 
said  to  Peter,  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
Church  ;"  "  If  he  neglect  to  hear  the  Church,  let  him  be  unto  thee 
as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican."  Hundreds  of  times,  they  have 
been  answered  that  Protestantism  is  all  the  Bible,  from  the  first  to 
the  last  page,  and  nothing  else  than  the  Bible  ;  that  it  is  not,  then,  a 
jiew  religion — that  Luther  did  not  invent  it — that  it  was  before 
him — that  the  Reformers,  Luther,  Zuingle,  and  Calvin,  are  nothing 
else  for  Protestantism  than  zealous  and  courageous  men,  made  use 
of  by  G^od,  as  instrumentalities,  to  break  asunder  the  fetters  of  bon- 
dage, riveted  by  ignorance  and  superstition,  and  to  bring  back 
again,  among  men,  the  beneficent  light  of  the  gospel;  and,  with 
the  gospel,  liberty.  Notwithstanding  that,  they  repeat  incessantly 
the  same  accusations:  '^ Where  were  you  before  Luther?  Your 
religion  is  new ',  it  was  unknown  before  Luther,  its  inventor, 
scarcely  three  hundred  years  ago.''  Let  them  learn  here,  that  there 
are  old  things,  which  receive  new  names,  without  destroying  their 
purity  and  antiquity. 

Though  the  servants  of  the  Lord  had  been  persecuted  and  put 
to  death,  as  heretics  and  enemies  of  mankind,  they  stand,  with  the 
Lamb,  on  the  mount  Sion,  having  his  Father's  name  written  in 
their  foreheads.  The  prophet  declares  that  these  servants,  sealed 
with  the  seal  of  the  living  God  (7  :  2-8),  the  Albigenses,  Waldenses, 
Lollards,  in  England,  and  the  Moravian  churches,  ''  are  they  which 
were  not  defiled  with  women," — with  "  the  harlots"  of  the  3Iother 
Church  (17  :  5),  and  with  "  that  woman  Jezebel,  which  calleth  her- 
self a  prophetess  (the  Roman  Church,  which  calleth  herself  infalli- 
ble), to  teach  and  to  seduce  my  servants  to  commit  fornication" 
(2  :  20),  by  the  worship  of  saints  and  images,  which  is  the  spiri- 
tual fornication  and  adultery  spoken  of  by  the  prophet.  "For  they 
are  virgins;"  not  of  that  virginity,  imposed  upon  men,  by  abstaining 
from  marriage,  which  "  is  honourable  in  all,  and  the  bed  undefiled 
(Heb.  13:4);  but  of  that  virginity  of  which  St.  Paul  says: 
"  I  am  jealous  over  you  with  godly  jealousy  :  for  I  have  espoused 
you  to  one  husband,  that  I  may  present  you  as  a  chaste  virgin  to 


148  COMMENTARY. 

Christ"  (2  Cor.  11  :  2).  ^' These  are  theywhich  follow  the  Lamb 
whithersoever  he  goeth,"  in  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution, 
or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword,  in  dungeons  and  a,t  the 
stake,  rather  than  worship  the  saints,  and  kneel  down  before  dumb 
and  insensible  images.  For,  to  kneel  down  before  the  wood  or 
stone  or  silver,  to  render  them  a  religious  honor,  is  to  worship  and 
adore,  whatever  may  be  the  name  by  which  this  religious  service 
be  denominated.  Their  virginity  consists  iti  their  faithfulness  to 
Christ,  and  not  in  a  forced  celibacy,  which  has  been,  at  all  times, 
the  source  of  all  the  immoralities,  and  of  those  crimes  which 
Christians  are  not  permitted  to  name. 

^' These  were  the  redeemed  from  among  men,  being  the  first 
fruits  unto  Grod  and  to  the  Lamb.  And  in  their  mouth  was  found 
no  guile  (no  hypocrisy),  for  they  are  without  fault  before  the 
throne  of  (rod.'^  They  have  been  accused,  aspersed,  and  extermi- 
nated as  heretics ;  but  they  are  without  fault  before  the  throne  ol 
Grod.  Their  righteousness,  it  is  true,  is  not  their  own  ;  for  they 
were  like  all  the  children  of  Adam,  poor  and  wretched  sinners  • 
"  but  they  have  washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,"  who  imputed  to  them  his  righteousness,  and 
kept  them  under  his  wings  from  the  fury  of  the  dragon  ;  because 
they  were  the  redeemed  from  among  men,  being  "  predestinated  to 
be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,  that  he  might  be  the  first- 
born among  many  brethren."  Their  number  is  not  large  ',  but  they 
are  only  ''  the  first  fruits  unto  Grod  and  to  the  Lamb."  And,  as 
the  Jews  offered,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  first  fruits  of  the  earth, 
that  the  mass  should  be  sanctified,  so  these  redeemed  are  consecrated 
to  God,  as  the  first  fruits,  to  sanctify  the  mass  of  peoples,  namely ; 
this  great  multitude  of  Protestants,  ''which  no  man  could  number, 
of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues"  (7  :  9).  They 
are  the  first  witness.  They  come  here  to  give  the  hand  of  fellow- 
ship to  those,  whom  the  Lord  will  cause  to  come  and  worship  be- 
fore their  feet  (3  :  9),  to  bear  witness  with  them  to  the  word  of 
God.  These  new  disciples  of  the  gospel,  called  "  Protestants,"  for 
the  protestation  of  Christian  ministers,  which  was  signed  at  Spires 
(April  25,  1529),  against  the  profession  of  faith,  which  the  Emperor 
Charles  V.  would  constrain  them  to  adopt,  are  the  second  witness 
of  the  Lord,  inasmuch  as  they  were  reformed  from  popery,  by  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  to  witness 
against  those,  who,  notwithstanding  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
continue  to  live  in  the  idolatrous  doctrines  of  Antichrist. 

V.  G-8.  '-And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the 
everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  eartli,  and  to  every 


COMMENTARY.  149 

nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Fear 
God,  and  give  glory  to  him  ;  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come :  and 
worship  him  that  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of 
waters.  And  there  followed  another  angel,  saying,  Babylon  is  fallen,  is 
fallen,  the  great  city,  because  she  made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the 
wrath  of  her  ibrnieation." 

The  words,  "  And  I  saw  another  angel/'  refer  us  evidently  to 
the  tenth  chapter,  where  the  prophet  saw  a  mighty  angel  having 
in  his  hand  a  little  book  open.  This  little  book  is  called  here  by 
its  name  '^  the  everlasting  gospel ;"  because  it  is  always  the  same 
gospel  once  delivered  unto  the  saints.  It  is  the  same  gospel,  which 
was  preached  by  the  apostles,  which  is  still  to  be  preached,  not  to 
the  heathens,  but  to  "them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,"  to  them  that 
inhabit  the  kingdoms  polluted  by  the  idolatrous  doctrines  of  popery. 
Hence,  we  may  see  how  necessary  it  was  that  the  prophet  should 
show  us,  by  a  digression,  how  the  Antichristian  Papal  Empire  had 
been  raised  up  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Roman  pagan  empire,  and 
how  these  peoples  and  nations,  to  whom  the  gospel  is  to  be 
preached,  were  swallowed  up  in  the  great  papal  apostacy.  These 
papal  peoples  are  the  subjects  of  the  Keformation,  whose  emblem 
we  have  seen  in  the  tenth  chapter.  Here,  we  begin  to  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Reformers.  The  rapidity  of  their  progress,  with  the 
instrumentality  of  the  recent  invention  of  the  art  of  printing,  is  re- 
presented by  "  the  angel  %ing  in  the  midst  of  heaven,"  through- 
out the  papal  empire.  At  first,  they  attack  only  the  scandalous 
abuses  which  had  been  introduced  into  the  Church.  It  was  the 
shameful  traffic  of  indulgences  they  wished  to  put  down,  and  the 
worship  of  the  saints  and  icnages  they  wished  to  destro}^,  in  order 
that  men  should  turn  again  to  the  worship  of  the  true  living  God. 
'^  Fear  God,"  they  said,  with  a  loud  voice,  "  and  give  glory  to  him ; 
for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come ;"  and  worship, — not  the  crea- 
ture which  cannot  save  you — but  "worship  him  that  made  heaven 
and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters.'' 

Such  were  the  first  steps  of  the  Reformation.  But  the  little 
book,  translated  into  living  languages,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  all 
men,  awoke  them  soon  from  their  lethargic  slumber.  It  was  read 
with  avidity  throughout  the  extent  of  the  papal  empire,  in  Ger- 
many, Holland,  England,  France,  Spain,  and  even  in  Italy :  its 
doctrines  were  contrasted  with  the  teachings  of  the  Roman  Church; 
the  papal  errors  were  revealed,  and  the  man  of  sin,  the  son  of  per- 
dition, pointed  out.  Then  the  voice  of  the  peoples,  and  among 
them  the  Reformers,  raised  up  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  was  heard 
pronouncing  these  words  of  the  second  angel :  "  Babylon  is  fallen, 

13* 


150  COMMENTARY. 

is  fallen,  that  great  city,  because  she  made  all  nations  drink  of  the 
wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication.'^ 

Eome  is  called  "  Babylon/'  because,  as  the  ancient  Babylon, 
which  held  in  bondage  the  people  of  God,  and  cast  into  a  heated 
furnace,  those  who  would  not  worship  the  image  that  Nebuchad- 
nezzar set»up,  so  the  Roman  Church  held  in  bondage  the  servants 
of  God,  and  had  funeral  piles  and  tortures  for  those  who  would  not 
obey  her  laws,  and  worship  her  images  (Dan.  3  : 1-29 ;  6  :  4-28). 
Pagan  Rome  did  not  impose  her  gods  upon  the  people  she  had 
conquered;  but  papal  Rome  presents  a  wooden  cross  to  all  people, 
in  all  the  compass  of  her  dominion,  and  says,  "  Believe,  or  die  !" 
Believe, — not  in  the  book  of  God,  in  his  word — but  in  my  power, 
in  the  miracles  of  ray  saints  and  relics, — believe,  that  I  am  the 
vicar  of  Christ, — that  I  am  infallible, — that  I  have  all  power  on 
earth  and  in  heaven,  or — die  !  So,  "  she  made  all  nations  drink 
of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication."  Mark  the  expression, 
"  drink  of  the  wine  of  her  fornication ;"  these  nations,  defiled  by 
her  spiritual  fornication,  are  as  it  were  intoxicated,  without  reason, 
understanding,  and  ready,  as  drunken  men,  to  shed  innocent  blood,- 
to  gain  heaven.  At  the  voice  of  the  monk  Dominic,  the  Albigenses 
were  slaughtered,  whilst  the  priests  and  other  monks  were  invoking 
the  Holy  Ghost,  for  their  bloody  deed,  by  singing  the  "  Veni  Sancte 
Spiritus  !"  They  arc  no  more  men  ;  there  is  neither  brotherly  nor 
filial  love ;  for,  in  their  fanatic  frenzy,  the  father  will  betray  the 
son  ;  the  brother,  his  brother;  the  son,  his  parents;  and  they  will 
denounce  each  other  to  the  Inquisition,  thinking  to  render  service 
to  God  by  such  unnatural  treason.  So  much,  and  so  true  it  is,  that 
the  papal  idolatrous  worship  had  made  them  drunk  with  the  wine 
of  the  wrath  of  her  spiritual  fornication  !  Therefore,  here  is  the 
curse,  which  another  angel  denounces  agtynst  the  fanatic  worship- 
pers of  popery. 

V.  9-11.  "  And  the  third  an^el  followed  them,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  If 
any  man  worship  the  beast  and  his  image,  and  receive  his  mark  in  his  fore- 
head, or  in  his  hand,  the  same  shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  llie  wrath  of  God, 
which  is  poured  out  without  mixture  into  the  cup  of  his  indignation  ;  and  he 
shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  presence  of  the  holy  angels, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  Lamb:  and  the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth 
up  forever  and  ever:  and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor  night,  who  worship  the 
beast  and  his  image,  and  whosoever  receiveth  the  mark  of  his  name." 

It  was  decided,  in  1215,  in  the  last  General  Council  of  Lateran, 
composed  of  412  bishops,  and  800  abbots,  that  "  out  of  the  Roman 
Church  there  is  no  salvation."  But  here  an  angel  of  God,  more 
powerful  than  all  the  most  numerous  councils,  pronounces,  with  a 
loud  voice,  the   eternal  damnation  of  all  the  worshippers  of  the 


C  0  M  31  E  N  T  A  R  Y.  151 

beast  and  bis  image  (of  the  pagan  and  papal  Rome).  ''  The  same 
shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  is  poured  out 
without  mixture  (without  alleviation),  into  the  cup  of  his  indigna- 
tion ;  and  he  shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone,  and  the 
smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever"  (Ps.  75  :  8). 
This  anathema  is  clearly  pronounced  against  the  Papists ;  but  does 
it  concern  all  Roman  Catholics  in  general  ?  God  forbid  that  we 
should  extend  this  anathema  beyond  its  limits,  and  that  we  involve 
in  that  curse  such  men  as  Pascal,  and  Fenelon,  and  so  many  other 
sincere  persons,  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness  of  popery,  arrived 
at  the  knowledge  of  Jesus,  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  notwithstand- 
ing the  altars  of  the  pagan  superstitions,  which  concealed  him  from 
their  eyes. 

There  are  some  Roman  Catholics,  who  have  only  "the  number 
of  the  name  of  the  beast"  (13  :  17),  who  are  born  Catholic,  without 
being  slaves  of  papal  superstitions  and  idolatry;  and  they  are  not 
included  in  this  curse.  The  anathema  is  pronounced  only  against 
those,  who  "  receive  his  mark  in  their  foreheads,  or  in  their  hand, 
or  the  mark  of  his  name,"  who  are  truly  Papists  in  their  acts  and 
profession ;  who  profess  his  religion  in  all  its  idolatrous  worship, 
and  support  and  propagate  its  doctrines.  The  curse  is  formal;, 
and,  without  stepping  upon  the  throne  of  God,  we  may  say  Avith 
certitude,  after  the  words  of  the  angels,  that  those  who  profess  the 
abominable  doctrines  of  popery,  and  are  concerned  in  their  propa- 
gation, or  in  the  papal  persecutions  and  cruelties,  "  the  same  shall 
drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  God" — that  they  ^' shall  be  tor- 
mented with  fire  and  brimstone  in  the  presence  of  the  holy  angels, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  Lamb, — that  the  smoke  of  their  torment 
ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever,  and  that  they  have  no  rest  day  nor 
night."  Such  is  the  anathema  enacted  against  them.  Let  the 
Roman  Catholics  examine  themselves  before  God.  Let  them  com- 
pare their  belief  with  the  word  of  God,  and  ask  God  earnestly  that 
he  would  teach  them  in  the  way  that  they  shall  choose ;  for  God  is 
not  mocked  with  impunity. 

V.  12,  13.  "Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints:  here  are  they  tliat  keep 
the  commandments  of  God,  and  the  faith  of  Jesus.  And  I  heard  a  voice 
from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord  from  henceforth:  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their 
labors;  and  their  works  do  follow  them.'' 

The  dreadful  curse,  which  we  have  just  examined,  indicates  that 
there  is  some  papal  persecution  plotted  against  the  witnesses  of  the 
Lord;  and  the  words,  "Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints"  refer 
certainly  to  some  bloody  deed  of  the  supporters  of  popery.     As  all 


152  COMMENTARY. 

the  pagan  persecutions  were  included  in  the  Diocletian  persecution, 
which  was  the  last  and  the  most  cruel,  so  the  papal  persecutions 
and  slaughters  are  included  in  the  persecution  of  Louis  XIV., 
which  was  also  the  last  and  the  most  cruel.  The  Church  of 
Smyrna  (2  :  8-11)  is  a  picture  of  what  shall  come  to  pass  during 
the  period  of  which  it  is  the  emblem,  and  the  persecution  takes 
place  only,  at  the  opening  of  the  fifth  seal  (6  :  9-11) ;  in  the  same 
manner,  when  a  new  state  of  things  is  to  take  place,  the  prophet 
shows  us,  in  a  picture,  the  sealing  of  the  witnesses  and  the  slaugh- 
ter which  awaits  them  (7  : 4-17) ;  but  the  bloody  persecution  is 
only  explained  in  its  place,  in  the  series  of  the  events  (11  :  7-11). 
Therefore  the  words,  ''  Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints,"  refer  us, 
it  is  true,  to  all  the  slaughters  of  Protestants  b}^  the  papists ;  but 
especially  to  the  killing  of  the  witnesses,  at  the  revocation  of  the 
Edict  of  Nantes,  which  was  ^'  the  hour  of  temptation,  which  shall 
come  upon  all  the  world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  earth'^ 
(8:10). 

The  event,  which  followed  immediately  the  martyrdom  of  the 
two  witnesses  (11  :  11—13),  namely,  the  ascending  of  the  witnesses 
up  to  the  throne  of  England,  which  checked  all  persecution,  gives 
us  the  meaning  of  the  thirteenth  verse  :  ''  \Yrite,  Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  :  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit, 
that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors ;  and  their  works  do  follow 
them.'' 

The  prophet  is  not  speaking  of  the  happiness  enjoyed  by  the  saints 
immediately  after  their  death,  nor  of  the  possession  of  the  reward 
promised  to  good  works,  as  it  is  generally  understood.  Scott  sup- 
poses that  the  Holy  Grhost  teaches  us,  by  these  words,  that  we  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  terrors  of  purgatory,  since  the  saints  of 
the  Lord  rest  from  their  labors.  But  the  prophet  does  not  say, 
"  Blessed  are  the  saints  or  Christians  which  die  in  the  Lord,"  but, 
"  Blessed  are  the  dead"  (the  sinners,  heathens  and  papists)  (Eph. 
2:1)"  which  die  in  the  Lord"  who  repent  and  are  converted  to  the 
Lord)."  Paul  says,  "Yield  yourselves  unto  God,  as  those  that  are 
alive  from  the  dead,"  from  sinners  or  heathens,  as  it  is  evident  (Rom. 
6  :  13),  and  therefore  the  dead  spoken  of  here,  as  well  as  in  this 
text,  "  And  the  time  of  the  dead,  that  they  should  be  judged" 
(11  :  IS)  represent  the  papists.  Now,  to  die  in  the  Lord,  signifies 
"  to  put  off  the  old  man,  and  put  on  the  new  man  ',"  for  the  same 
apostle,  speaking  to  the  Colossian  Christians,  says,  ^'  For  ye  are  dead 
(converted  to  the  Lord  and  dead  to  the  world),  and  your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God"  (3  :  3).  Therefore,  the  meaning  of  this  text  is, 
"  ]3!essed  are  the  papists  who  turn  to  Christ  and  his  word  from 
henceforth,"  from   the  triumph   of  the  witnesses,  who  are  on   the 


COMMENTARY.  153 

tlirone  of  England,  and  who  will  check  the  papal  persecutions. 
"  Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors  (from 
their  persecutions  to  which  the  converts  are  exposed),  and  their 
works  do  follow  them,''  whatever  they  may  accomplish  for  the  glory 
of  G-od,  and  the  coming  of  his  kingdom,  shall  stand  after  them  : 
no  papal  crusade  shall  any  longer  destroy  the  works  of  Christians 
converted  from  popery ;  they  shall  enjoy  the  fruit  of  their  faith- 
fulness unto  death.  Such  is  the  meaning  of  this  passage.  It 
is  like  a  challenge  addressed  to  the  persecutors,  showing  that  they 
can  do  nothing  against  the  Lord.  We  have,  now,  "  the  judgment  of 
the  dead"  (11  :  18),  under  the  emblems  of  "  harvest  and  vintage,'' 
which  form  the  third  woe,  emblematically  represented  by  the  seven 
vials  of  the  wrath  of  Grod. 

V.  14-16.  "And  I  looked,  and  behold  a  white  cloud,  and  upon  the  cloud 
one  sat  like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  having  on  his  head  a  golden  crown,  and  in 
his  hand  a  sharp  sickle.  And  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple,  crying 
with  a  loud  voice  to  him  that  sat  on  the  cloud.  Thrust  in  thy  sickle,  and  reap: 
for  the  time  is  come  for  thee  to  reap ;  for  the  harvest  of  the  earth  is  ripe. 
And  he  that  sat  on  the  cloud  thrust  in  his  sickle  on  the  earth  ;  and  the  earth 
was  reaped." 

The  white  cloud,  upon  which  sat  the  Son  of  man,  is  the  emblem 
of  the  holy  and  mj^sterious  judgments  of  God,  in  which  the  Chris- 
tian sees,  as  through  a  shining  cloud,  Jesus  Christ  appearing,  in 
his  human  nature,  to  execute  these  judgments,  as  he  has  received 
the  power  from  his  Father  (5:6-8).  He  had  "on  his  head  a 
golden  crown,"  as  an  emblem  of  his  royalty,  of  his  righteous  judg- 
ments, and  of  his  sovereign  power  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth.  The  "  sharp  sickle"  shows  how  terrible  are  the  judgments, 
which  he  is  to  execute  over  the  papal  kingdoms.  The  other  angel, 
who  came  out  of  the  temple,  crying  with  a  loud  voice,  to  thrust  in 
his  sickle,  and  reap,  is  the  symbol  of  the  iniquities  of  the  dead 
papists,  whose  voice  crieth  to  God  from  the  earth  ;  because  the 
measure  of  their  sins  is  full,  and  the  appointed  time  to  judge  them 
is  at  hand.  This  angel  "  came  out  of  the  temple,"  to  show  that 
the  vengeance  of  the  Lord  will  execute  these  judgments,  to  punish 
those  who  have  sinned  against  and  in  his  temple  (Ez.  8  : 4-18). 
"  It  is  time  to  thresh  the  daughter  of  Babylon  :  yet  a  little  while, 
and  the  time  of  her  harvest  shall  come;"  for  the  harvest  of  the 
earth  (papal  kingdoms)  is  ripe.  And  he  that  sat  on  the  cloud 
thrust  in  his  sickle  on  the  earth ;  and  the  earth  was  reaped.  To 
understand  well  what  are  the  judgments,  which  are  represented 
under  the  emblem  of  the  harvest,  let  us  examine  the  parable  of 
the  '-seed,"  and  the  interpretation  given  by  Jesus  Christ  himself. 

'•  Another  parable  put  he  forth  unto  them,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  heaven 


154  COMMENTARY. 

is  likened  unto  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field :  but  while  men 
slept,  his  enemy  came  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  went  his  way. 
But  when  the  blade  was  sprung  up,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then  appeared 
the  tares  also.  So  the  servants  of  the  householder  came  and  said  unto  him: 
Sir,  didst  not  thou  sow  good  seed  in  thy  field?  From  whence  then  hath  it 
tares  ?  He  said  unto  them.  An  enemy  hath  done  this.  The  servants  said 
unto  him.  Wilt  thou  then  that  we  go  and  gather  them  up?  But  he  said, 
Nay ;  lest  while  ye  gather  up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them. 
Let  both  grow  together  until  the  harvest :  and  in  the  time  of  harvest  I  will 
say  to  the  reapers,  Gather  ye  together  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in 
bundles  to  burn  them :  but  gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn." 

Here  is  the  explanation  given  by  our  Lord  himself. 

"  He  that  soweth  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  man ;  the  field  is  the  world ; 
the  good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  the  tares  are  the  chil- 
dren of  the  wicked  one;  the  enemy  that  soweth  them  is  the  devil ;  the  harvest 
is  the  end  of  the  world;  and  the  reapers  are  the  angels.  As  therefore  the 
tares  are  gathered  and  burned  in  the  fire;  so  shall  it  be  in  the  end  of  this 
world.  The  Son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and  they  shall  gather 
out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that  oMend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity  ;  and 
shall  cast  them  into  a  furnace  of  fire:  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnashing 
of  teeth.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom 
of  their  Father.  Who  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear."  (Matt.  13  :  24-30; 
37-43.) 

The  angels,  who  represent  every  person,  chosen  as  instrumentalities 
to  execute  the  will  of  Crod,  have  two  things  to  do  during  the  time 
of  the  harvest :  to  gather  first  the  tares,  and  bind  them  in  bundles  to 
burn  them  ]  and  to  gather  the  wheat  into  the  barn  of  the  Lord. 
Now,  from  the  beginning  of  the  French  Revolution  of  1793,  the 
reapers  have  been  at  their  work.  The  Robespierres  of  that  bloody 
revolution  have  been  the  instrumentality  made  use  of  by  the  Lord 
to  execute  his  vengeance  upon  the  royal  family,  the  nobles,  and 
priests.  And,  as  the  people  had  shared  in  their  bloody  persecu- 
tions against  the  Christians,  God  raised  up  the  young  Napoleon, 
and  bestowed  upon  him  this  extraordinary  genius,  in  order  that  he 
should  avenge,  on  the  field  of  battle,  the  blood  of  his  martyrs,  vrhich 
the  people  had  cruelly  shed,  as  water  upon  the  earth.  The  nu- 
merous victims  of  Robespierre's  rage,  and  the  thousands  who  fell 
in  every  battle  of  the  great  Napoleon,  were,  as  many  bundles  of 
tares  bound  together  to  be  burnt  with  the  fire  of  war.  (Sec  the  ex- 
position of  the  nineteenth  chapter.) 

The  harvest,  as  the  emblem  of  the  judgments  of  God,  contains 
the  first  five  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God,  as  it  will  be  shown  in  the 
sixteenth  chapter,  the  prophet  showing  always,  in  a  general  picture, 
the  events,  which  he  will  afterwards  explain  more  circumstantially. 
The  angels,  who  had  the  charge  of  gathering  the  wheat  into  the 
barn  of  the  Lord,  began  their  work  seven  years  after  the  French 


COMMENTARY.  155 

Revolution.  The  Protestant  Cliurch  of  England  was  then  awakened 
from  her  lethargic  slumber.  A  Bible  society  was  founded,  in  1800, 
in  England  ;  and,  in  1805,  some  other  societies  were  formed  to 
send  missionaries  throughout  the  world,  among  the  heathens  and 
among  the  peoples  poisoned  with  the  idolatrous  papal  superstitions. 
This  work,  which  increases  day  by  day,  will  finish  only,  when  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be  the  Lord's.  Then  it  shall  be  the 
end  of  the  world,  according  to  the  meaning  of  the  parable  of  the 
seed  ;  but  not  of  this  universe,  as  it  is  generally  understood,  and 
which  shall  take  place  only  after  the  Millennium  (20  :  11-15),  if 
so  it  is  that  this  universe  ought  to  be  destroyed.  When  the  end 
of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  come,  at  the  pouring  out  of  the 
seventh  vial,  called  here  the  vintage,  described  in  the  nineteenth 
chapter,  then  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  shall  be  set  up,  and  "  then 
shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their 
Father.'^     There  is  the  harvest ;  here  is  the  vintage. 

V.  17-20.  "  And  another  angel  came  out  of  the  temple  which  is  in  heaven, 
he  also  having  a  sharp  sickle.  And  another  angel  came  out  from  the  altar, 
which  had  power  over  the  fire;  and^cried  with  a  loud  cry  to  him  that  had 
the  sharp  sickle,  saying,  Thrust  in  thy  sharp  sickle,  and  gather  the  clusters 
of  the  vine  of  the  earth  ;  for  her  grapes  are  fully  ripe.  And  the  angel  thrust 
in  his  sickle  into  the  earth,  and  gathered  the  vine  of  the  earth,  and  cast  it 
into  the  great  wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God.  And  the  wine-press  was 
trodden  without  the  city,  and  blood  came  out  of  the  wine-press,  even  unto 
the  horse  bridles,  by  the  space  of  a  thousand  and  six  hundred  furlongs." 

The  harvest  was  finished,  in  1816,  with  the  fifth  vial  of  the 
wrath  of  Grod ;  and,  then,  the  sixth  was  poured  out,  to  prepare  the 
elements  (16  :  12-16),  which  must  cause  the  last  catastrophe  to  take 
place,  and  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  to  be  set  up  in  all  the  earth. 
It  is  yet  the  '^  sharp  sickle,"  which  is  the  emblem  of  the  destruction 
of  the  kings  of  the  earth.  The  angel,  who  has  this  deadly  weapon, 
came  also  "out  of  the  temple,"  to  show  that  it  was  thence  also  that 
the  iniquities  of  men  ascended  up  to  the  throne  of  God ;  and 
these  iniquities  are  the  more  heinous  that  the  temple  of  God  "  is 
in  heaven"  (the  empire),  since  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet 
(11  :  19).  They  could  have  entered  into  the  temple,  since  the 
liberty  of  worship  had  been  granted,  in  1792;  the  rod  of  the  man 
of  sin  had  been  broken,  and  the  Bible  had  been  put  into  the  hands 
of  all  those  who  would  receive  it.  But  they  choose  rather  to  con- 
tinue in  their  errors,  superstitions,  idolatry,  or  infidelity ;  therefore 
this  angel  comes  out  of  the  temple,  which  is  open  in  the  papal 
empire,  "  having  a  sharp  sickle." 

Another  angel,  which  had  power  over  the  fire  (18  :  8)  of  war, 
"  came  out  from  the  altar,"  to  show  that  the  judgments,  which  are 


156  COMMENTARY. 

to  be  executed,  liave  been  provoked  by  the  iniquities  committed 
agcainst  the  atoninp;  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ  (Ez.  9  :  1-7),  cried  to 
him  that  had  the  sharp  sickle,  saying,  ''Thrust  in  thy  sharp  sickle, 
and  gather  the  clusters  of  the  vine  of  the  earth ;  for  her  grapes  are 
fully  ripe"  (Joel  3  :  9-17).  "And  the  angel  thrust  in  his  sickle 
into  the  earth,  and  gathered  the  vine  of  the  earth,  and  cast  it  into 
the  great  wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God.^^ 

This  vintage  is  called  ''the  battle  of  that  great  day  of  God 
Almighty  (16  :  14-16),  in  the  place  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue, 
Armageddon"  (the  mountain  of  destruction),  and. we  have  its  de- 
scription in  the  nineteenth  chapter,  where  this  battle  is  called  also 
"  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb.'^  This  battle  synchronizes 
with  the  seventh  vial,  whose  first  efi'usion  has  shaken  all  the  papal 
kingdoms ;  and  when  it  shall  be  poured  out  to  the  dregs,  they  shall 
be  swallowed  up  into  an  everlasting  ruin  with  all  the  worshippers 
of  the  image  of  the  beast,  and  all  those  who  commit  iniquity.  The 
Protestants  are  also  invited  to  awake  from  their  slumber  and  luke- 
warmness,  and  to  be  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  (3  :  14— 
22);  for  many  of  them,  as  well  as  the  papists,  are  miserable,  poor, 
and  blind,  and  naked,  and  they  do  not  know  it.  Those,  who  shall 
not  be  clothed  with  the  wedding-garment  at  His  coming,  shall  be 
"  cast  into  outer  darkness ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing 
of  teeth.'' 

"  And  the  wine-press  was  trodden  without  the  city,"  either 
without  Rome,  or  rather  without  the  papal  kingdoms,  in  some  Pro- 
testant country,  or  in  the  East,  as  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord 
is  likened  to  the  lightning  appearing  from  the  east.  *'  And  blood 
came  out  of  the  wine-press,  even  unto  the  horse  bridles,  by  the 
space  of  a  thousand  and  six  hundred  furlongs,"  which  make  200 
Italian  miles,  which  form,  it  is  said,  all  the  extent  of  the  papal 
territory  from  Home  to  the  Po  lliver.  "We  cannot  say  precisely 
where  shall  be  the  theatre  of  that  scene  of  carnage,  since  the  event 
is  not  yet  accomplished.  But  we  can  say  that  papal  Rome  shall 
drink  the  dregs  of  this  cup  of  destruction,  that,  as  a  great  mill- 
stone cast  into  the  sea,  is  found  no  more,  "  So  with  violence  shall 
that  great  city  Babylon  be  thrown  down,  and  shall  b^  found  no 
more  at  all"  (read  Is.  34,  and  63  : 1-6).  Let  us  not  forget  that 
the  Lord  admonishes  us  to  watch  and  be  ready ;  for  we  know 
neither  the  day  nor  the  hour,  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh. 


COMMENTARY.  157 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE    TEMPLE   OP    THE    TABERNACLE    OF   THE'  TESTIMONY   OPENED 
IN    HEAVEN. 

This  chapter,  wliicii  is  as  the  preface  to  the  following  chapter, 
where  the  seven  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  are  poured  out  upon 
the  papal  kingdoms,  comes  naturally  after  the  eleventh  chapter,  at 
the  end  of  which  the  seventh  angel  sounded.  Before  commencing 
the  explanation  of  this  chapter,  let  us  cast  a  glance  upon  the 
method  which  the  prophet  has  followed,  since  his  digression  from 
the  course  of  the  events  (10  :  11);  and  we  shall  be  convinced  that 
God  alone  could  employ,  in  his  exposition  of  the  events,  such  a 
wonderful  order.  He  has,  at  first,  delineated,  under  the  emblems 
of  the  temple,  and  of  the  court  without  the  temple,  given  unto  the 
Gentiles,  the  limits,  which  separate  the  true  Christians  from  the 
multitude  of  those  who  have  only  the  name  of  Christians,  and  to 
whom  it  was  given  to  tread  down  under  foot  the  holy  cit}^,  to  over- 
come and  kill  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  during  1260  years. 

This  time  being  accomplished,  the  enemies  of  the  witnesses 
formed  a  conspiracy  to  destroy  them  utterly;  and  after  having 
killed  them,  during  three  years  and  a  half,  when  they  thought  to 
have  succeeded  in  their  infernal  plot,  the  witnesses  ascended  up  to 
the  throne  of  England,  at  the  sight  of  their  enemies.  Henceforth' 
they  are  enabled  to  check  the  papal  persecutions :  such  was  their 
first  victory  over  their  enemies. 

Near  by  this  picture,  the  prophet  shows  us,  under  the  same 
prospect,  and  by  the  emblem  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  the  final 
triumph  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord  and  the  complete  ruin  of  her 
enemies.  An  ordinary  writer  would  have  given  immediately  after 
the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  the  emblems  of  the  cala- 
mities which  it  contains.  But  we  would  have  known,  neither  the 
true  author  of  the  persecutions  decreed  against  the  Christians,  nor 
the  artifices  which  he  had  employed,  nor  the  instruments  which  he 
had  in  his  power,  to  succeed  in  their  destruction.  For,  true,  the 
prophet  had  told  us  that  the  Roman  Empire  had  been  destroyed 
by  ten  barbarian  nations ;  that  the  Mussulmans  had  conquered  the 
Eastern  Empire,  in  which  they  spread  the  poison  of  Mahometan- 
ism  ;  but  we  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  these  barbarians  or 
of  the  peoples  which  they  conquered.  It  was,  then,  necessary  that 
the  prophet  should  teach  us  that  first,  in  order  that  we  might 
understand  which   people    and    nations  are  to   be  visited  by  the 

14 


158  COMMENTARY. 

scourges,  contained  in  the  seventh  trumpet;  and  again,  it  was 
necessary  for  us  that  we  should  be  acquainted  with  the  progress  of 
the  Reformation,  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  freely  given  to  the 
papists,  and  with  the  eternal  damnation  awaiting  the  supporters  of 
the  masterpiece  of  Satan,  and  the  wretched  victims  of  its  idola- 
trous teachings, — in  order  that  we  might  acknowledge  that  the 
judgments  of  God  are  just,  and  that  he  only  punishes  because  they 
have  refused  to  obey  his  gracious  and  merciful  invitations.  Now, 
it  is  precisely  what  the  prophet  has  done  in  the  preceding  chapters, 
and  it  is  what  he  should  have  done,  before  giving  us  the  -emblems 
of  the  calamities,  which  are  contained  in  the  seven  vials  of  the 
wrath  of  God. 

V.  1-4.  '•  And  I  saw  another  sign  in  heaven,  great  and  marvellous,  seven 
angels  having  the  seven  last  plagues ;  for  in  them  is  filled  up  the  wrath  of 
God.  And  I  saw  as  it  were  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire :  and  them  that 
had  gotten  the  victory  over  the  beast,  and  over  his  image,  and  over  his 
mark,  and  over  the  number  of  his  name,  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,  having 
the  harps  of  God.  And  they  sing  the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God, 
and  the  song  of  the  Lamb,  saying.  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works, 
Lord  God  Ahnighty ;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints.  Who 
shall  not  fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name?  for  thoxi  only  art  holy:  for 
all  nations  shall  come  and  worship  before  thee;  for  thy  judgments  are  made 
manifest." 

In  reading  this  chapter,  we  wonder  at  the  solemn  majesty,  which 
reigns  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  as  when,  in  the  courts  of 
law,  we  see,  before  his  judges,  some  notorious  malefactor,  con- 
demned to  death,  and  surrounded  with  a  crowd  of  spectators  and 
officers,  clothed  with  the  emblems  of  the  sacred  duty,  which  society 
intrusted  to  them,  ready  to  execute  the  judgments  of  human 
justice.  We  know  who  are  the  guilty.  And  their  doom  is  repre- 
sented under  the  image  of  a  "  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire,"  in 
which  they  are  to  be  destroyed,  as  Pharaoh  and  all  his  army  were 
formerly  swallowed  up  in  the  Red  Sea,  for  having  pursued  to  the 
utmost  the  people  of  God.  Here  the  spectators  are  the  redeemed 
of  the  Lamb,  who  are  witnessing  the  destruction  of  their  enemies; 
the  angels,  clothed  in  pure  and  white  linen,  are  the  ministers  of 
the  vengeance  of  the  Lord ;  they  receive  seven  golden  vials  full 
of  the  wrath  of  God,  from  the  hand  of  one  of  the  representatives 
of  the  militant  Church,  against  which  the  foul  deed  was  committed ; 
and  the  temple,  in  which  all  these  things  are  performed,  is  filled 
with  smoke  from  the  glory  of  God  and  from  his  power,  and  no  man 
is  able  to  enter  into  the  temple,  to  take  refuge  there,  to  escape 
from  the  judgments  pronounced  against  the  guilty;  for  it  is  too 
late. 


COMMENTARY.  159 

The  emblems  of  these  mysterious  dispensations  of  the  provi- 
dence of  G-od  appear  to  the  eyes  of  the  prophet  as  a  '^  great  and 
marvellous  sign."  Seven  angels,  commissioned  to  execute  the 
judgments  of  Grod,  which  form  the  third  woe  (8  :  13),  have  "  the 
seven  last  plagues,"  by  which  the  empire  of  Antichrist  is  to  be 
destroyed,  and  in  which,  consequently,  "  is  filled  up  the  wrath  of 
God ;"  for  then  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  shall  be 
set  up  (Dan.  2  :  44).  The  chastisements,  figured  by  these  plagues, 
are  represented  under  the  image  of  a  '^sea  of  glass  mingled  with 
fire,"  to  show  that  the  papal  kingdom  shall  be  wasted  by  the  fire 
of  wars,  and  broken  to  pieces  as  potter's  vessels.  The  smoke 
mingled  with  the  flames,  arising  out  of  the  burning  cities,  will 
present  to  the  eyes  the  transparent  image  of  a  sea  of  glass  mingled 
with  fire,  on  which  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  as  the  Israelites,  after 
having  passed  the  Red  Sea,  shall  sing  the  song  of  Moses  the  ser- 
vant of  God  (Ex.  15  : 1-21). 

It  may  be  said  also  that  these  plagues  are  represented  under  tbe 
image  of  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire,  because  these  judgments 
are  inflicted  upon  those  kingdoms  for  the  contempt  of  the  manifest 
grace  of  God,  figured  by  the  brazen  laver,  wherein  Aaron  and  his 
sons  should  wash  their  hands  and  their  feet,  that  they  die  not. 
The  papists  refused  to  wash  their  robes  and  make  them  white  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  as  in  the  living  waters  of  the  grace  of  God, 
in  which  they  could  see  salvation  as  through  a  transparent  crystal ; 
but  they  despised  the  gift  of  God,  and,  in  their  hatred  against  the 
elect  of  God,  they  pursued  them  through  this  sea  of  graces  and 
mercies,  which  was  their  refuge;   and  this  sea,  which  saves  the 
servants  of  the  Lord,  became  for  them  as  for  Pharaoh,  a  sea  of 
glass  mingled  with  fire,  by  which  they  are  consumed.     While  they 
are  perishing  in  that  sea  of  fire,  the  elect  "  that  had  gotten  the 
victory  over  the  beast,  and  over  his  image,  and  over  his  mark,  and 
over  the  number  of  his  name,"  over- the  papal  impostures,  seduc- 
tions, idolatry,  and  worldly  grandeur,  and  who  have  even  refused 
to  receive  the  name  of  "  Roman  Catholics,"  though  they  might 
have  been  preserved  from  the  papal  idolatries  and  superstitions, 
"  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,"  which  saved  them  from  the  fury  of 
their  enemies,    "having  the  harps  of  God,"  to  sing  the  glory, 
power,  holiness,  and  justice  of  God  Almighty.     They  sing  the  song 
of  Moses,  to  show  that  they  are  delivered  from  their  bondage,  as 
the  Israelites,  and   from  the   destruction   from  which  they  have 
escaped  by  the  miraculous  protection  of  the   Lamb,   while   their 
enemies  are  drowned  in  a  sea  of  fire.     Therefore,  they  sing  also 
the   song  of   the  Lamb,  saying,  "  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy 
works.  Lord   God  Almighty;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou 


160  COMMENTARY. 

King  of  saints.  AYho  shall  not  fear  tliee,  0  Lord,  and  glorify  tliy 
name  ?  For  tliou  only  art  holy  :  for  all  nations  shall  come  and 
worship  before  thee;  for  thy  judgments  are  made  manifest/' 

Mark  what  titles  they  give  to  the  Lamb.  They  declare  in  their 
song  that  he  is  ^^the  Lord  God  Almighty,  the  King  of  saints,  the 
Lord,  and  the  only  one  holy."  He  is  the  Eternal,  our  righteous- 
ness. He  put  on  our  humanity,  as  a  veil,  to  dwell  among  men,  to 
teach  and  save  them,  by  accomplishing,  as  man,  the  law  of  his 
Father,  and  dying  to  atone,  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  for  the  sins 
of  his  disciples,  who  believe  in  him,  and  to  whom  he  imputes  his 
righteousness,  that  they  should  be  made  one  with  him  and  partakers 
of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Though  the  second  interpretation  of  the  emblem  of  ^^the  sea  of 
glass  mingled  with  fire,"  as  representing  the  grace  of  God,  may  ap- 
pear to  be  the  true  one,  it  is  more  probable,  that  it  represents  the 
papal  kingdoms  ravaged  by  the  fire  of  wars.  For  the  word  "  sea," 
has  always  been  employed  by  St.  John  and  Daniel  (7  :  3),  as  the 
emblem  of  the  revolutions  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth.  There- 
fore, this  image  of  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire  represents  the 
condition  of  France,  Spain,  Italy,  Germany,  Prussia,  and  of  all 
Europe,  during  the  bloody  wars  of  the  French  Republic  of  1793, 
to  the  fall  of  Napoleon  in  1816.  These  kingdoms  were  to  look 
upon,  as  an  immense  sea  of  fire,  over  which  stood  England,  and 
Holland,  and  Switzerland,  singing  the  deliverance  of  the  Lamb. 
The  first  were  indebted  to  the  waters  of  the  sea  for  their  salvation, 
as  the  Israelites,  and  the  others  were  not  concerned  in  these  wars. 
In  this  manner,  we  see  that  Protestant  countries  were  unhurt  by 
the  first  plagues  of  the  third  woe,  so  that  the  judgments  of  the 
Lord  were  tnily  made  manifest.  These  plagues  are  for  the  papal 
kingdoms,  what  the  Red  Sea  was  for  the  Egyptians. 

V.  5-8.  "And  after  tlmt  I  looked,  and,  behold,  the  temple  of  the  tabernacle 
of  the  testimony  in  heaven,  was  opened :  and  the  seven  angels  came  out  of 
the  temple,  having  the  seven  plagues,  clothed  in  pure  and  white  linen,  and 
having  their  breasts  girded  with  golden  girdles.  And  one  of  the  four  beasts 
gave  unto  the  seven  angels  seven  golden  vials  full  of  the  wrath  of  God,  who 
liveth  forever  and  ever.  And  the  temple  was  filled  with  smoke  from  the 
glory  of  God,  and  from  his  power ;  and  no  man  was  able  to  enter  into  the 
temple,  till  the  seven  plagues  of  the  seven  angels  were  fulfilled." 

The  tabernacle  of  the  testimony,  was  the  temple  of  God  in  the 
wilderness.  The  Israelites,  who  sought  the  Lord  went  out  unto 
that  temple,  to  worship  God  and  address  him  their  requests;  and 
the  presence  of  God  manifested  itself  in  a  cloudy  pillar,  which  de- 
scended, and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  the  Lord  speaking 
unto  Moses  face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his  friend  (Ex. 


COMMENTARY.  161 

83  :  7-11;  40  :  34-35;  1  K.  8  :  10-14).  Therefore  the  tabernacle, 
where  God  dwelt,  is  the  figure  of  the  true  Church  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  temple  of  the  true  Church  is  called  :  "  the  temple  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  testimony  f  because  the  true  Church  was  obliged 
to  %  into  the  wilderness  to  be  nourished  there,  1260  years  (12  : 
14),  during  the  time  of  their  prophecy,  bearing  witness  to  the 
truth,  and  condemning  the  worshippers  of  idols.  The  temple  of 
the  true  Church,  is  now  opened  in  heaven, — in  all  the  kingdoms 
overruled  by  Antichrist.  At  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet 
(11  :  19),  it  was  opened  in  1792,  when  the  civil  constitution  of  the 
clergy  was  decreed  by  the  representatives  of  the  French  revolution, 
and,  then,  the  liberty  of  worship  was  granted  to  every  religious  de- 
nomination, except  to  the  papal  church,  whose  rod  was  broken. 
The  papal  thunders,  or  anathemas,  are  no  longer  to  be  feared :  they 
are  now  powerless  and  laughed  to  scorn.  It  was  after  the  establish- 
ment of  Protestantism  in  England,  a  second  victory  of  the  Church 
over  popery ;  and  her  final  triumph  shall  be  accomplished  only  at 
the  pouring  out  of  the  seventh  vial.  Mark  how  the  prophet  shows 
us,  by  a  single  word,  "the  temple  was  opened  in  heaven,'^  that  this 
passage  synchronizes  with  the  seventh  trumpet  (11  :  19),  where  we 
find  the  same  words.  (Compare  also  for  the  vintage,  14  :  19 ;  16  : 
19 ;  19  :  15,  showing  that  the  same  event  is  spoken  of.) 

The  angels,  "having  the  seven  plagues,  came  out  of  the  temple;" 
because  it  is  against  the  Church  that  the  iniquities  have  been  com- 
mitted ;  and  the  Lord  will  avenge  the  blood  of  his  martyrs,  and 
the  contempt  of  his  covenant,  which  they  have  trodden  under  foot. 
The  angels,  avengers  of  the  Church  of  the  Lord,  are,  like  the  high 
priests,  "  clothed  in  pure  and  white  linen,  and  having  their  breasts 
girded  with  golden  girdles,"  to  show  the  righteousness  and  holiness 
of  the  judgments  which  they  are  to  execute.  They  are  like  a 
sacrifice  oifered  to  the  justice  of  Grod,  to  cleanse  his  Church,  to  take 
away  all  offences  out  of  the  earth,  and  to  establish  everywhere  a 
holy  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

It  is  one  of  the  four  beasts  (one  of  the  representatives  of  the 
militant  Church),  who  gave  unto  the  angels  "  the  seven  vials  full 
of  the  wrath  of  God,"  because  the  sins  were  committed  against  the 
militant  Church,  whose  members  were  trodden  under  foot,  cast  into 
prison,  slaughtered  or  burnt  at  the  stake.  It  is  the  testimony  of 
that  Church,  her  teachings,  and  holy  ordinances,  which  were 
despised,  and  prosecuted  as  blasphemies,  and  forbidden  upon  pain 
of  death,  whilst  errors  and  idolatrous  worship,  were  protected  and 
paid.  Now,  the  time  of  revenge  is  at  hand.  Now,  the  temple  of 
God  is  filled  with  smoke,  for  the  great  and  terrible  God  is  there,  in 
the  midst  of  his  people,  to  deliver  them  by  dreadful  judgments, 

14^ 


162  COMMENTARY. 

from  tlie  oppression  of  tlieir  enemies.  And,  this  smolie,  witli 
wliich  the  temple  is  filled,  from  the  glory  of  God,  and  from  his 
pov/er,  which  he  manifests  by  these  judgments,  is  like  this  pillar, 
luminous  for  his  children,  and  dark  for  their  oppressors.  For,  ''no 
man  was  able  to  enter  into  the  temple,  till  the  seven  plagues  of  the 
seven  angels  were  fulfilled.'^ 

It  is  evident  that  these  words  :  "  no  man  was  able  to  enter  into 
the  temple,'^  must  be  understood,  not  of  individual  persons,  but  of 
kings  and  kingdoms,  which  have  committed  adultery  with  popery. 
These  peoples  or  kingdoms,  which  were  formed  out  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  are  ten  in  number;  and,  when  England  fell 
from  poper}^,  one  of  these  kingdoms  entered  into  the  temple  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  testimony.  But,  though  the  bloody  French 
Kevolution  of  1793,  used  harshly  the  kings,  noblemen,  and  priests, 
in  hatred  of  Jesuitism  and  popery;  and  though,  for  the  same 
reason,  infidelity  erected  altars  to  the  goddess  Reason,  over  the 
ruins  of  the  altars  of  the  papal  demi-gods,  as  Mahomet  proclaimed 
an  arbitrary  God  in  hatred  of  graven  images,  no  one  of  these  kings 
and  kingdoms  was  able  to  abandon  popery,  and  enter  into  the  tem- 
ple of  God.  On  the  contrary,  Jesuitism  was  re-established  in  1814; 
armies  of  Jesuits,  from  soldiers  turned  missionaries,  were  sent  every- 
where to  repair  the  altars  of  the  saints,  and  to  propagate  their 
idolatrous  superstitions.  Louis  Philippe,  an  infidel,  when  he  was  a 
prince,  turned,  on  the  throne,  a  bigoted  king  and  a  slave  to  popery. 
The  infidel  representatives  of  the  new  French  republic,  delivered 
this  young  maiden  of  liberty  into  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits,  her 
enemies,  to  be  smothered  in  their  arms.  The  Holy  Alliance  has 
set  on  foot  again,  its  infernal  league  against  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  thinking  to  prevail,  by  this  assemblage  of  tyrants,  to  give 
a  new  life  to  the  beast,  to  revive  the  principle  of  priestly  law,  and 
again  rule  over  the  peoples  by  decretals,  bulls,  dungeons,  and  the 
stake.  But,  notwithstanding  their  hopes,  and  the  triumphs  of 
which  they  boast  for  a  little  while,  they  forward  only  the  fall  of  the 
colossus,  which  must  soon  overwhelm  them  in  its  ruin.  They  can- 
not be  enlightened  by  the  gospel;  they  are  to  be  as  monuments  of 
the  glory  and  power  of  the  Almighty,  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 
"  And  the  temple  was  filled  with  smoke  from  the  glory  of  God,  and 
from  his  power;  and  no  man  was  able  to  enter  into  the  temple,  till 
the  seven  plagues  of  the  seven  angels  were  fulfilled/' 


COMMENTARY.  163 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THE    SEVEN    VIALS    OF   THE   AYRATH   OF    GOD. 

First   Vial 

V.  1,  2.  "  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  saying  to  the  seven 
angels,  Go  your  ways,  and  pour  out  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the 
earth.  And  the  first  went,  and  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  earth ;  and 
there  fell  a  noisome  and  grievous  sore  upon  thg  men  which  had  the  mark  of 
the  beast,  and  upon  them  which  worshipped  liis  image," 

There  is  a  great  analogy  between  the  emblems  of  the  first 
trumpets,  which  caused  the  ruin  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  made 
ready  the  way  to  the  empire  of  Antichrist,  and  between  the  vials  of 
the  wrath  of  God,  which  must  be  poured  out  upon  the  earth,  that 
is,  upon  the  papal  kingdoms.  Their  ruin  having  been  decreed,  for 
having  defiled  the  temple  of  God,  and  made  his  house  a  den  of 
thieves,  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  was  heard  saying  :  ''  Go  your 
ways,  and  pour  out  the  vials  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  the  earth,'' 
upon  the  Roman  Church  (Dan.  2  :  31-45),  which  is  the  miry  clay 
mixed  with  the  iron  of  the  civil  powers. 

At  the  pouring  out  of  the  first  vial,  "  there  fell  a  noisome  and 
grievous  sore  upon  the  men  which  had  the  mark  of  the  beast  and 
upon  them  which  worshipped  his  image"  (13  :  15-19).  The  earth, 
being  the  emblem  of  the  worldly  papal  religion,  as  we  have  seen  it 
everywhere  in  this  prophecy;  because  a  worldly,  tyrannical,  and 
idolatrous  religion,  whatever  may  be  the  name  by  which  she  is  de- 
corated, is  no  longer  the  daughter  of  heaven ;  it  is,  then,  upon  the 
men  having  the  mark  of  the  papal  idolatrous  empire,  the  image  of 
the  pagan  Roman  Empire,  that  the  "  noisome  and  grievous  sore 
fell :"  and  this  noisome  and  grievous  sore  was  infidelity  and  revolu- 
tionary frenzy  or  anarchy. 

The  angels  who  poured  out  this  vial  were  the  philosophers  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  Yoltaire  at  their  head.  They  unveiled 
the  superstitions  and  turpitudes  of  popery ;  and  to  show  how  bitter 
a  hatred  was  engendered  in  their  minds  by  the  papal  religion,  they 
attempted  even  to  overthrow  the  God  of  heaven  from  his  throne, 
upon  which  they  tried  to  place  their  frail  goddess,  "  Reason."  For, 
every  one  who  has  no  other  knowledge  of  Christianity  than  the 
poor  notions  which  he  receives  from  popery,  passes  necessarily  from 
his  superstitions  and  childish  credulity  to  infidelity  and  impiety,  as 
we  pass  from  a  heinous  tyranny  to  an  unbounded  anarchy.     So, 


164  '^  COMMENTARY. 

idolatry  and  superstition  gave  birth  to  irreligion  and  impiety;  and 
despotism,  to  anarchy.  This  sore  upon  the  mind  of  men  was 
^'noisome  and  grievous:"  under  the  specious  names  of  '' Liberty" 
and  "  Equality,"  they  overturned  the  thrones  of  the  kings ;  they 
banished  the  nobility;  and  the  priests  were  obliged  to  leave  France. 
The  rich  estates  and  possessions  of  the  papal  clergy  (about  the  fourth 
part  of  all  France),  which  they  had  acquired  by  a  long  and  cove- 
tous tyranny  over  the  consciences  of  men,  were  seized  upon  and 
sold;  and,  in  the  name  of  Marat,  Collot  d'Arbois,  and  especially  of 
Robespierre,  all  France  was  in  consternation.  These  days  of  the 
vengeance  of  the  Lord  were  called  "  The  Days  of  Terror." 


Second   Vial. 


V.3.  "And  the  second  angel  poured  out  his -vial  upon  the  sea;  and  it 
became  as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man :  and  every  living  soul  died  in  the  sea." 

As  Genseric,  at  the  sounding  of  the  second  trumpet,  fell  as  it 
were  a  great  mountain  burning  with  fire,  which  was  cast  into  the 
sea,  and  the  third  part  of  the  sea  became  blood  (8  :  8),  so  at  the 
pouring  out  of  the  second  vial  Admiral  Nelson,  at  the  head  of  the 
English  fleet,  in  1805,  destroyed  the  combined  fleets  of  France  and 
Spain,  near  Cape  Trafalgar.  This  maritime  war,  the  bloodiest  that 
has  ever  been  seen,  which  continued  more  than  twenty  years, 
during  which  so  much  blood  was  shed  that  the  prophet  might  truly 
say  that  the  "  sea  became  as  the  blood  of  a  dead  man,  and  every 
living  soul  died  in  the  sea."  Some  other  judgments  of  God,  from 
the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  had  been  already  made  mani- 
fest, before  that  bloody  battle  ;  but  they  are  placed  after  this  event, 
because  this  bloody  battle  was  but  the  result  of  a  plague,  which  had 
begun  ravaging  about  twenty-five  years  before  that  event. 


Third  Tlal. 


V.  4-7.  "And  the  third  angel  poiired  out  his  vial  upon  the  rivers  and 
fountains  of  waters  ;  and  they  became  blood.  And  I  heard  the  angels  of  the 
wafers  say,  Thou  art  righteous,  O  Lord,  which  art,  and  wa^t,  and  shall  be, 
because  thou  hast  judged  thus.  For  they  have  shed  the  blood  of  saints  and 
prophets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood  to  drink  ;  for  they  are  worthy. 
And  I  heard  another  out  of  the  altar  say,  Even  so,  Lord  God  Almighty,  true 
and  righteous  are  thy  judgments.'" 

At  the  sounding  of  the  third  trumpet,  Attila  fell  as  "  a  great  star 
from  the  heaven,  burning  as  it  were  a  lamp,  and  he  fell  upon  the 


COMMENTARY.  165 

tbiird  part  of  the  rivers,  and  upon  tlie  fountains  of  waters  ;'^  and,  in 
examining  our  map,  we  have  seen  that  the  countries,  pointed  out 
by  this  figured  language,  are  those  which  are  at  the  foot  of  the 
Alps,  in  the  north  of  Italy,  whence  spring  the  Ilhine,  Pvhone, 
Danube,  and  Po,  upon  which  Attila  fell  with  his  army,  and  where 
he  died  the  day  of  his  marriage.  It  is  therefore  upon  the  coun- 
tries at  the  foot  of  these  mountains,  that  the  third  vial  is  poured 
out,  and  the  waters  became  blood  in  consequence  of  this  judgment 
of  God. 

Now,  if  we  consult  the  history  of  this  epoch,  we  shall  find  that 
it  was  precisely  there  that  the  young  Bonaparte,  after  having  crossed 
the  Alps,  destroyed,  in  some  days,  the  army  and  the  kingdom  of 
Sardinia  and  Savoy,  and  cut  in  pieces  the  armies  of  Austria.  The 
blood  of  the  conquering  army  as  well  as  that  of  the  conquered,  in 
the  fjimous  battles  of  Montenotte,  Millesimo,  Diego,  and  Mondovi, 
in  1796,  and  that  of  Marengo,  in  1800,  was  shed  by  torrents,  so 
that  these  rivers,  lakes,  and  fountains  of  waters  "  became  blood," 
in  punishment  of  an  old  slaughter,  accomplished  there  by  the 
united  armies  of  France  and  Savoy,  and  written  there,  as  it  were, 
in  the  rocks  of  these  mountains  (11  :  7-10). 

When  the  blood  was  shedding  on  both  parts,  the  angel  of  the 
waters  said  :  "  Thou  art  righteous,  0  Lord,  which  art,  and  wast, 
and  shalt  be ;  because  thou  hast  judged  thus.  For  they  have  shed 
the  blood  of  saints  and  prophets,  and  thou  hast  given  them  blood 
to  drink ;  for  they  are  worthy."  Who  are,  then,  the  saints  and 
prophets  whose  blood  had  been  shed  at  the  foot  of  these  mountains  ? 
Do  you  hear  the  voice  of  this  angel,  0  blind  executioners  of  the 
papal  bulls  and  excommunications  !  The  place  of  your  slaughters 
is  clearly  indicated  :  no  other  country  can  be  designated,  in  Europe, 
as  being  the  source  of  rivers  and  fountains  of  waters,  than  these 
mountains  inhabited  by  the  Waldenses.  There  are  their  valleys  at 
the  foot  of  these  mountains,  from  which  spring  the  fountains  and 
rivers  of  Europe ;  and  it  is  there  that,  during  three  years  and  a 
half,  you  slaughtered  about  one  million  of  saints  and  prophets  of 
the  Lord.  For  these  heretic  Waldenses,  whom  you  hunted  as  wild 
beasts  in  the  dens  and  caves  of  the  forests,  where  they  fied  for 
refuge,  were,  the  angel  says,  the  saints  and  prophets  of  the  Lord. 
Your  crime  was  written  and  sealed  in  these  moving  waters,  which 
had  been  unable  to  wash  it  away,  though  it  was  one  century  and  a 
half  since;  for  nations,  as  well  as  any  sinner,  shall  be  holden  with 
the  cords  of  their  sins  (Prov.  5  :  22).  The  Lord  waited  for  you 
there,  and  he  required  a  small  tribute,  before  the  coming  day  of  your 
utter  destruction.  ''Even  so,  Lord  God  Almighty,"  says  another 
angel,  "  true  and  righteous  are  thy  judgments."     This  angel  who 


166  COMMENTARY. 

was  heard  "  out  of  the  altar"  speaks  in  the  name  of  the  shaughtered 
"Waldenses;  for  the  altar  Is  the  emblem  of  the  sacrifice  of  their  life 
offered  up  to  Jesus  Christ,  our  altar,  in  bearing  witness  to  his  word, 
as  the  martyrs  of  pagan  persecutions  (6  :  9-11).  These  waters  had 
been  stained  by  their  blood,  it  was  just  that  they  should  be  stained 
with  the  blood  of  the  French  and  Piedmontese,  their  persecutors. 


Fourth  Vial. 


V.  8,  9.  "And  the  fourth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  sun;  and 
power  was  given  unto  him  to  scorch  men  with  fire.  And  men  were  scorched 
with  great  heat,  and  blasphemed  the  name  of  God,  which  hath  power  over 
these  plagues :  and  they  repented  not  to  give  him  glory."' 

At  the  sounding  of  the  fourth  trumpet,  the  third  part  of  the  sun 
was  smitten  and  darkened,  as  well  as  the  moon  and  stars ;  and,  at 
the  pouring  out  of  the  fourth  vial  upon  the  sun,  power  was  given 
unto  him  to  scorch  men  with  fire.  We  have  already  seen  that  the 
expression  ^'with  fire,"  designates  the  fire  of  wars,  and  that  the 
^'  sun"  represents  the  chief  of  the  state,  either  king  or  emperor, 
who  overrules  all  the  subjects  of  the  state,  as  the  sun  overrules  all 
the  celestial  bodies.  Therefore,  these  words:  ^^ and  power  was 
given  unto  him  to  scorch  men  with  fire,"  mean,  that  the  chief  of 
the  state  received  power  to  exercise  a  military  despotism  over  the 
papal  kingdoms,  and  to  torment  them  by  the  disastrous  consequences 
of  wars.  Now,  at  this  epoch,  the  young  Napoleon,  proclaimed 
Emperor  of  the  French,  in  1801,  conducted  everywhere  his  victo- 
rious armies ;  and  everywhere  in  Spain,  Portugal,  Italy,  Grermauy, 
and  Prussia,  the  kings  and  peoples  "were  scorched  as  with  a  great 
heat,''  with  the  plague  of  war.  There  were  left  but  women  and 
old  men  in  France,  when  this  scorching  sun  went  to  Russia,  where 
his  burning  heat  was  extinguished  in  the  ice  and  snow  of  a  hasty 
winter,  which  brought  on  the  destruction  of  his  army,  until  then, 
everywhere  victorious.  This  sun  kindled  again  for  one  hundred 
days.  When  he  reappeared,  he  was  received  with  acclamations  of 
joy  by  the  people,  who  were  already  tired,  after  some  months,  with 
the  base  and  low  rancors  of  the  "•  old  reqimc,"  and  disgusted  with 
the  Jesuitic  manners,  set  again  in  fashion  by  their  new  masters. 
But  his  fire  had  kindled  again  to  be  soon  extinguished  at  Waterloo; 
and,  thence,  on  the  rock  of  St.  Helena. 

These  papal  kingdoms,  instead  of  repenting  of  their  idolatry  and 
superstitions,  blasphemed  the  name  of  God,  which  had  power  over 
these  plagues.  They  returned  to  the  gods  of  Rome,  to  be  delivered 
by  them,  from  their  calamities.     Though  Napoleon  despised  the 


COMMENTARY.  167 

papal  impostures,  lie  made  alliance  with  popei-y  ',  and  bj  a  blind 
policy  delivered  France  to  the  popes,  by  placing  at  the  disposition 
of  their  agents,  the  edifices,  temples,  parsonages,  and  Episcopal 
palaces.  In  his  policy,  he  did  not  consult  either  the  rights  of  God 
or  of  his  word  ;  he  raised  up  again  the  dark  kingdom  of  the  beast ; 
and  his  policy,  wise  to  the  eyes  of  men,  caused  his  ruin^  and,  with 
it,  new  plagues. 


Fifth  Vial. 


V,  10,  11.  "And  the  fifth  angel  poured  out  his  vial  upon  the  seat  of  the 
beast;  and  his  kingdom  was  full  of  darkness  ;  and  they  gnawed  their  tongues 
for  pain,  and  blasphemed  the  God  of  heaven  because  of  their  pains  and 
their  sores,  and  repented  not  of  their  deeds.'" 

Napoleon  had  arrived  to  the  height  of  power  and  glory.  But 
the  Grod,  who  had  given  him  power  to  scorch  men  with  lire,  had 
set  limits  to  the  course  of  his  success.  The  retreat  of  Moscow,  the 
destruction  of  his  powerful  army,  the  inundation  of  France,  by  the 
numerous  armies  of  all  united  powers,  and  the  return  of  the  Bour- 
bons, with  a  numerous  train  of  Jesuits  and  missionary  soldiers,  all 
these  misfortunes  are  emblematically  represented  by  the  fifth  vial, 
poured  out  especially  upon  France ;  because  she  had  again  entered 
into  the  alliance  of  popery;  and  God,  in  his  wrath,  gave  again  to 
the  French,  the  ancient  regime  and  Jesuitism,  which  they  abhor. 
Soon  after,  all  the  liberal  institutions  of  the  revolution  of  1793, 
were  abolished.  The  liberty  of  the  press  was  chained  ;  the  prisons 
were  filled  with  men  condemned  for  political  crimes ;  the  system  of 
privileges  was  re-established,  and  the  Jesuit  could  again  bestow  the 
kingly  favors  upon  the  cringing  hypocrite.  All  these  calamities, 
which  fell  at  once  on  France,  are  represented  under  the  image  of 
"the  kingdom  which  was  full  of  darkness."^  It  is  under  the  same 
image,  "  the  sun  became  black  as  sackcloth  of  hair"  (6  :  12),  that 
the  defeat  of  Maxentius  and  Licinius,  by  the  army  of  Constantine, 
is  represented  by  the  prophet.  And  as,  at  the  sounding  of  the 
fifth  trumpet  (9  : 1,  2),  the  man  of  sin,  the  great  Antichrist,  was 
manifested  in  606,  by  the  opening  of  the  bottomless  pit,  out  of 
which  arose  popery,  and  the  Dark  Ages,  and  out  of  popery  there 
arose  a  smoke,  by  which  the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened ;  so, 
at  the  restoration  of  popery  in  France,  and  thence,  in  all  the  other 
papal  kingdoms,  we  see  again,  under  the  image  of  "  darkness," 
which  envelops  the  kingdom  as  with  a  thick  veil,  ignorance,  super- 
stition, tyranny,  arising  out  of  the  ancient  regime  and  popery, 
healed  from  the  wound  they  had  received  in  1798. 


168  COMMENTARY. 

The  men,  upon  wliicli  tliere  fell  a  noisome  and  grievous  sore  (in- 
fidelity and  anarchy),  are  always  entrapped  with  the  fetters  of 
tyranny,  instead  of  obtaining  the  liberty  for  which  they  are  always 
fighting.  "  They  gnawed  their  tongues  for  pain,  at  the  sight  of 
their  calamities/'  Instead  of  returning  to  the  Lord,  and  to  the 
word  of  his  power,  which  would  make  them  free  and  happy  (John 
8  :  32-36),  they  blaspheme  the  God  of  heaven,  and  they  repent 
not  of  their  deeds.  They  build  up  systems  of  impiety ;  they  enter- 
tain, in  their  unsettled  imaginations,  the  foolish  conceit  of  Fourier- 
ism,  of  Cabetism ;  and,  under  the  pretence  of  reforming  society,  by 
making  of  it  an  atheistical  communism,  they  attempt  to  destroy  it. 
These  destructive  systems  originate  from  a  blind  policy,  which 
submits  the  people  to  the  hateful  yoke  of  men,  whom  they  look  upon 
with  contempt,  and  to  a  religion — whose  absurd  teachings  are 
known  to  every  one,  as  well  as  the  tyrannical  ambition  and  avidity 
of  her  ministers, — instead  of  giving  them  the  word  of  God,  that 
they  should  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  that  their  souls  and 
minds  should  be  subjugated,  their  hearts  purified,  and  their  affec- 
tions and  thoughts  raised  up  to  the  God  by  whom  they  were  created, 
and  who  alone  can  accomplish  these  things. 


Sixth  Vial 


V.  12-10.  "  And  the  sixth  angel  poTued  out  his  vial  upon  the  great  river 
Euphrates;  and  the  Vv^ater  thereof  was  dried  up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings 
of  the  east  might  be  prepared.  And  I  saw  tliree  uiiclean  spirits  like  frogs 
come  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and 
out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  proi)l)et.  For  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils, 
working  miracles,  which  go  .forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole 
world,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that  great  i]i\y  of  God  Almighty. 
Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief.  Blessed  is  he  that  watcheth,  and  keepeth  his 
garments,  lest  he  walk  naked,  and  they  see  his  shame.  And  he  gathered 
them  together  into  a  place  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Armageddon." 

At  the  sounding  of  the  sixth  trumpet,  the  four  angels,  or  sul- 
tanies,  which  were  bound,  either  by  the  waters  of  the  Euphrates 
lliver,  or  by  the  Crusaders,  were  loosed  to  destroy  the  Eastern 
Empire,  by  the  taking  of  Constantinople  (9  :  14) ;  at  the  pouring 
out  of  the  sixth  vial,  upon  the  same  river  Euphrates,  its  water  was 
dried  up,  that  the  way  of  the  kings  of  the  East  might  be  prepared. 
This  river  Euphrates  is,  then,  the  symbol,  of  the  Turkish  power; 
and  "to  dry  up  its  waters"  signifies  evidently  to  weaken,  annihi- 
late, this  power;  that  it  could  oppose  no  barrier  to  prevent  the 
coming  of  the  kings  of  the  East,  as  a  river,  whose  water  is  dried 
up,  is  no  longer  a  bulwark  ior  the  Jvingdom  whose  frontiers  were 


COMMENTARY.  169 

once  protected  by  its  waters.  Now,  the  actual  weakness  of  this 
empire  is  known  by  everybody.  In  1821-1825,  tlie  Grreeks  re- 
gained their  independence;  some  years  after,  the  Russians  ad- 
vanced to  the  gates  of  Constantinople;  and  had  not  the  English 
fleet  stood  against  Egypt,  this  country  would  have  also  regained 
its  independence.  The  Turkish  power  is  then,  now,  of  no  account 
at  ail ;  and  in  weakening  this  power,  the  Lord  is  preparing  the 
way  to  the  kings  of  the  East,  that  they  should  come,  and  worship 
at  Jerusalem.  But  who  are  these  kings,  and  for  what  purpose  are 
they  to  come  ? 

It  is  supposed  by  some  that  they  are  the  Jews,  who  shall  come 
to  take  again  possession  of  Judea.  But  the  Jews  would  come  not 
only  from  the  East,  but  also  from  every  country  of  the  world  ;  for 
they  are  scattered  towards  the  four  winds  of  heaven.  Scott,  after 
Moore,  thinks  that  it  is  asserted  of  the  Afghanistans,  warlike 
people,  whom  he  supposes  to  be  the  posterity  of  the  ten  Jewish 
tribes;  and  he  thinks  that  these  people,  coming  from  the  East, 
will  invade  Europe,  and  shall  be  the  instrumentality  of  the  Lord's 
vengeance  upon  the  kingdoms  subjected  to  popery.  But  he  forgets 
that  the  ministers  of  the  Lord's  vengeance  are  the  same  people, 
who  had  received  the  mark  of  the  beast  (17  :  16,  17);  "for  God 
hath  put  in  their  hearts  to  fulfil  his  will,  and  to  agree,  and  give 
their  kingdom  unto  the  beast,  until  the  words  of  God  shall  be  ful- 
filled." Therefore,  these  kings,  who  must  come  from  the  East, 
are  all  the  Eastern  people,  who  are  still  in  the  darkness  of  idolatry 
and  Islamism ;  and  the  Ottoman  Empire  has  been  weakened,  in 
order  that  it  could  not  oppose  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  the 
setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  countries  beyond 
the  river  Euphrates,  as  well  as  in  the  Western  countries.  They 
will  come,  not  to  conquer  and  destroy ;  but  to  be  united  with  us, 
by  the  bonds  of  the  same  faith,  baptism,  and  to  adore  the  same 
Saviour,  the  same  blessed  God,  forever  and  ever. 

"  And  I  saw  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  come  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  folse  prophet."  The  dragon  is  the  old  serpent, 
called  the  devil  and  Satan  (12  :  9),  the  father  of  lies,  and  the  great 
accuser  of  the  Christians.  The  beast  is  the  Roman  Empire,  which 
has  become  the  papal  empire ;  and  the  false  prophet  is  the  pope — 
the  Jezebel,  which  calleth  herself  a  prophetess  (2  :  20) — united 
with  the  kings  by  the  bonds  of  his  religion,  which  they  enforce 
upon  the  people  of  their  kingdoms.  The  dragon,  the  beast,  and 
the  false  prophet  are  then  leagued  together;  for  the  dragon  gave 
the  beast  his  power,  and  his  seat,  and  great  authority  (13  :  2). 
"  Three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs,"  low,  cringing,  mean,  and  living 

'  15 


170  COMMENTARY. 

in  the  miry  clay,  came  ^'  out  of  tlie  mouth  of  the  dragon,"  that  is, 
lies  and  false  accusations ;  ^'  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  beast,'' 
infernal  policy,  attempting  to  subvert  the  spiritual  liberty  of  the  peo- 
ple; ''and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet,"  imposture,  lying 
wonders,  false  accusations  against  the  saints  of  the  Lord,  foretelling 
woes  to  the  kings,  unless  they  destroy  Protestantism,  and  forbid  the 
liberty  of  worship. 

As  these  unclean  spirits  are  said  to  be  three,  it  has  been  sup- 
posed that  they  represented  the  monks,  Dominicans,  Franciscans, 
and  Jesuits.  But  they  are  said  to  be  three,  only  because  they 
come  from  three  different  sources — from  Satan,  from  the  civil 
power,  and  from  the  false  prophet ;  and  they  may  be  found  in  the 
same  person  or  in  the  same  class  of  men,  as  for  instance,  in  what  we 
call  "Jesuitism,"  in  which  we  find  impiety,  coming  out  of  the  mouth 
of  Satan  ;  tyranny,  coming  from  the  mouth  of  kings;  and  supersti- 
tion and  idolatry,  from  the  mouth  or  religion  of  the  fidse  prophet. 
"  For  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils,  working  miracles,  which  go 
forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole  world,  to  gather 
them  to  the  battle  of  that  great  day  of  God  Almighty." 

''  They  are  the  spirits  of  devils,"  men  teaching  to  worship  the 
saints,  who  are  like  the  demigods,  the  devils  of  Paganism  (1  Tim. 
4:1-4);  and  those  who  teach  these  pagan  doctrines,  are  called 
"  false  doctors — working  miracles" — lying  wonders,  as  those  of  the 
pictures  of  Rimini,  winking  of  the  eyes  and  shedding  of  tears. 
''  Which  go  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  (Catholic  kings)  and 
of  the  whole  world  (Protestant  or  Greek,  as  England  and  Russia), 
to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that  great  day  of  God  Almighty," 
directing  their  conscience,  and  arming  their  prejudices  to  destroy 
the  libe^'ty  of  worship,  and  to  give  the  last  blow  to  the  liberties  of 
the  peoples.  The  words  ''  they  go  forth  unto  the  kings,"  show  us 
that  the  unclean  spirits  belong,  not  to  the  mouth  of  the  beast  (civil 
powers),  but  to  the  mouth  of  the  false  prophet.  The  dragon  gives 
his  power  and  authority ;  the  beast  accomplishes  with  his  brutish 
constraint ;  and  the  false  prophet  pronounces  his  lying  oracles,  in 
the  name  of  God,  saying  that,  unless  they  destroy  all  liberties,  there 
is  no  safety  for  their  kingdoms.  Therefore,  it  is  evident  that,  under 
the  emblems  of  these  three  unclean  spirits,  the  prophet  characterizes 
these  persons,  who  fovor  and  provoke  this  tyrannical  policy,  which, 
by  any  means  and  deceits,  deprives  the  people  of  liberty,  and  im- 
poses upon  them  an  Antichristian  religion,  in  order  that  they  should 
be  subdued  and  i-uled,  as  the  animals  which  are  under  the  yoke. 
And  this  class  of  persons  is  known,  under  the  denomination  of 
'''Jesuitism,"  whatever  may  be  in  other  respects  the  name  by 
which  \\\e,^  are  denominated. 


COMMENTARY.  171 

In  1830,  the  same  class  of  persons  advised  Charles  X.  to  decree 
his  ordinances  destructive  to  liberty;  and  his  throne  was  over- 
turned. The  infidel  Louis  Philippe,  surrounded  with  the  same 
persons,  became  a  bigoted  king,  who  went  so  far  as  to  prevent  the 
deputies  from  uniting  together  for  a  public  dinner;  and  he  was 
dethroned.  We  shall  soon  hear  also  of  the  dreadful  doom  of 
Napoleon  III.  The  Antichristian  league,  which  they  decorate 
with  the  fair  name  of  "  Holy  AlHance,"  has  been  recently  revived 
to  give  the  finishing  blow  to  the  civil  and  religious  liberties.  But 
it  is  written  that  the  work  of  the  wicked  is  deceitful ;  and  what- 
ever they  may  attempt  to  do,  they  will  only  hasten  "  that  great 
day  of  Grod  Almighty."  For  he  it  is  who  overrules  their  secret 
plots,  and  will  gather  them,  according  to  their  contrivance,  for 
their  own  ruin,  "into  a  place  called  in  the  Hebrew  tongue  Ar- 
mageddon," which  means  "  the  mountain  of  carnage."  (Read  the 
sublime  song  of  Deborah,  concerning  the  defeat  of  Sisera,  near  the 
waters  of  Megiddo,  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  Arma- 
geddon ;  Judges  5  and  Joel  3.) 

"Behold,  I  come  as  a  thief,"  says  the  Lord;  "blessed  is  he 
that  watcheth,  and  keepeth  his  garments,  lest  he  walk  naked,  and 
they  see  his  shame."  By  comparing  these  words  with  tlie  letter 
to  the  Church  of  the  Laodiceans,  in  which  we  find  the  same 
words  (3  :  14-22),  we  have  a  new  proof  that  this  letter  is  truly  the 
emblem  of  the  state  of  the  Church,  before  the  coming  of  our  Lord. 
Awake,  then,  0  Protestants,  from  your  slumber !  Show  your- 
selves the  worthy  heirs  of  the  faith  of  your  fathers ;  for  your  Pro- 
testantism will  do  you  no  good,  unless  you  keep  your  garments, 
and  have  the  wedding  garment  to  cover  your  nakedness,  when  you 
shall  appear  before  the  Lord,  at  that  great  day,  which  is  called 
"  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb."  It  is  the  Lamb  himself  who 
will  gather  the  kings  into  the  mountain  of  destruction,  though  the 
men,  out  of  the  mouth  of  which  come  the  unclean  spirits,  are 
engaged  in  the  same  work  for  another  purpose ;  for  the  Almighty 
permits  that  the  wicked  should  be  themselves  the  authors  of  their 
own  ruin,  whilst  they  are  plotting  the  ruin  of  their  fellow-men. 


Seventh  Vial. 


V.  17-21.  "And  the  seventh  angel  poured  out  his  vial  into  the  air;  and 
there  came  a  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  of  heaven,  from  the  throne, 
saying,  It  is  done.  And  there  were  voices,  and  thunders,  and  lightnings; 
and  there  vi^as  a  great  earthquake,  such  as  was  not  since  men  were  upon 
the  earth,  so  mighty  an  earthquake,  and  so  great.  And  the  great  city  was 
divided  into  three  parts,  and  the  cities  of  the  nations  fell :  and  great  Babylon 


172  COMMENTARY. 

came  in  remembrance  before  God,  to  give  unto  her  tlie  cup  of  the  wine  of 
the  fierceness  of  his  wrath.  And  every  island  fled  away,  and  the  moun- 
tains were  not  found.  And  there  fell  upon  men  a  great  hail  out  of  heaven, 
every  stone  about  the  weight  of  a  talent:  and  men  blasphemed  God  because 
of  the  plague  of  the  hail ;  for  the  plague  thereof  was  exceeding  great." 

Here  is  the  last  vial  of  the  wrath  of  God.  It  is  poured  out  into 
the  air  (Eph.  2:2;  6  :  12),  upon  principalities,  powers,  rulers  of 
the  darkness  of  this  world,  and  upon  spiritual  wickedness  (popery) 
in  high  places.  And,  behold,  the  Lord  will  make  all  things  new. 
The  great  voice  out  of  the  temple  of  heaven,  from  the  throne,  on 
which  the  Lord  sat,  and  out  of  which  proceed  all  events  (4  :  5) 
has  pronounced  these  dreadful  words  :  ''  It  is  done."  The  mystery 
of  God  is  finished,  and  there  is  time  no  longer.  God  will  now 
avenge  the  outrages  done  to  his  Church  and  to  his  covenant,  which 
are  emblematically  represented  by  the  temple,  out  of  which  came 
the  great  voice,  saying,  '^It  is  done:"  and  there  were  voices,  and 
thunders,  and  lightnings,  which  are  the  forerunners  of  the  political 
commotions,  indicated  by  the  ^'  great  earthquake,  so  mighty  and  so 
great,  such  as  was  not  since  men  were  upon  the  earth." 

I  am  neither  a  prophet,  nor  son  of  a  prophet ;  but  I  am  com- 
menting upon  the  most  wonderful  prophecy ;  and  if,  in  following, 
step  by  step,  the  emblems  by  which  the  prophet  gives  us  the 
history  of  the  Church,  of  her  trials  and  triumphs,  and  explaining 
them,  according  to  their  nature,  and  the  explanation  given  by  the 
prophet  himself,  we  have  been  enabled  to  find  exactly,  and  in  the 
most  faithful  order,  the  facts  recorded  in  history :  this  great  and 
mighty  earthquake, — this  great  and  mighty  political  convulsion, 
such  as  was  not  since  men  were  upon  earth, — was  accomplished 
these  last  years,  when  all  the  thrones  of  the  earth  (papal  kingdoms) 
were  shaken,  and  when  the  pope  and  the  king  of  France  were 
obliged  to  flee  in  disguise  to  escape  for  their  life.  It  is  evident, 
that  the  three  unclean  spirits  of  the  preceding  vial  continue  to  go 
to  the  kings,  doing  their  infernal  work,  to  the  time  of  the  great 
battle  of  Armageddon,  and  that  the  harvest  will  go  on,  to  gather 
the  good  seed,  to  the  time  of  the  vintage,  which  is  the  same  battle 
of  destruction ;  for  we  have  seen  often  the  plagues,  indicated  by 
two  seals  or  two  trumpets,  taking  place  at  the  same  time.  There- 
fore, if  these  events,  which  have  shaken  at  the  same  time  France, 
Italy,  Sardinia,  Austria,  Hungary,  and  even  Ireland,  are,  in  fact, 
the  events  represented  by  this  great  and  mighty  earthquake,  the 
papal  kings  may  use  whatever  policy  they  can  imagine,  the  Lord 
shall  overcome ;  and  they  shall  drink,  with  the  pope,  the  dregs  of 
the  cup  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  shall  be  soon  poured  out. 
History  does  not  proceed  any  longer.     Here  are  the  events  of  this 


COMMENTARY.  173 

wonderful  prophecy,  whicli  are  yet  to  be  accomplislied,  before  the 
Lord  makes  all  things  new. 

"  And  the  great  city  was  divided  into  three  parts."  The  great 
city,  called  the  great  whore  (17  :  1,  18),  is  the  city  of  Rome,  taken 
for  the  seat  of  Antichrist,  and  for  all  the  kingdoms  under  his  spiri- 
tual sway.  Therefore,  all  these  Catholic  kingdoms,  whose  cities 
are  called  "  the  cities  of  the  nations,"  because  they  profess,  like  the 
Gentiles,  an  idolatrous  religion,  shall  be  divided  into  three  political 
parties ;  Republicans,  Bonapartists,  Henriquinquists  or  Philipists  ; 
for  the  event  only  will  decide  it.  But,  what  we  can  certify  in  ad- 
vance, is  that  the  cities  of  the  people  infected  by  the  papal  idola- 
try— the  cities  of  the  nations — shall  be  overthrown  ;  and  that  great 
Babylon,  Rome  itself,  called  Babylon,  because  she  used  as  this 
sister  city,  to  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace  or  into  the  den  of  lions 
(Dan.  3  and  G)  the  servants  of  God,  who  refused  to  worship  her 
images,  or  addressed  their  requests  to  another  God  than  her  own 
gods,  shall  come  in  remembrance  before  God,  and  that  he  will  give 
her  "  the  cup  of  the  wine  of  the  fierceness  of  his  wrath."  We 
have  seen  (14  :  18-20)  what  kind  of  wine  it  is ;  and  we  have 
(19  :  11-12)  the  description  of  this  vintage  :  "  the  blood  of  the 
prophets,  and  of  the  saints,  and  of  all  that  were  slain  upon  the 
earth,  was  found  in  her  f  and  the  Lord  will  give  her  blood  to  drink 
(Joel  3  : 1-21).  It  is  not,  then,  by  the  flight  or  disguise  of  a 
pope  that  the  empire  of  Antichrist  must  finish.  The  mystic 
Babylon  must  drink  of  the  cup  of  the  wrath  of  God ;  she  must  be 
filled  with  drunkenness  and  sorrow,  with  the  cup  of  astonishment 
and  desolation ;  she  must  disappear  suddenly  and  with  violence 
from  the  earth,  as  a  great  millstone  cast  into  the  sea  (18  :  21). 
They  wondered,  not  long  ago,  when  the  pope  again  ascended  the 
papal  throne  ;  and  his  supporters  inferred  from  that  that  papal  Rome 
sits  a  queen,  and  shall  see  no  sorrow.  But  it  was  necessary  that 
the  pope  should  be  re-established  on  his  throne,  in  order  that  the 
judgments  of  God  could  be  accomplished.  Daniel  says  (7  :  26), 
"that  the  judgment  shall  sit,  and  they  shall  take  away  his  domi- 
nion, to  consume  and  to  destroy  it  unto  the  end."  Now,  this 
judgment  could  not  bo  accomplished  by  his  flight  in  disguise ;  and 
again,  we  have,  in  the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  chapter,  the  de- 
scription of  the  end  of  the  papal  empire,  saying  :  "  And  the  beast 
was  taken,  and  with  him  the  false  prophet  that  wrought  miracles 
before  him,  with  which  he  deceived  them  that  had  received  the 
mark  of  the  beast,  and  them  that  worshipped  his  image.  These 
both  were  cast  alive  into  a  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone." 
So,  the  kingdoms  under  the  papal  dominion,  the  kings  and  the 
pope,  the  bishops  and  cardinals,  and  all  the  supporters  of  tyranny 

15* 


•»fc 


174  COMMENTARY. 

and  idolatry,  sliali  be  swept  away,  in  the  day  of  the  wrath  of  God, 
with  a  besom  of  destruction  :  ''  And  every  island  fled  away,  and  the 
mountains  were  not  found." 

After  the  victories  of  Constantine  over  Maxentius  and  Licinius, 
it  is  said,  "  And  every  mountain  and  island  were  moved  out  of 
their  places"  (6  :  14),  and  we  have  seen  that  these  emblems 
'^  mountains  and  islands"  moved  out  of  their  places,  meant  that 
the  civil  and  religious  powers  passed  from  the  heathens  to  the 
Christians.  Consequently,  in  giving  these  emblems  the  same  signi- . 
fication,  we  have  for  the  first,  '^  And  every  island  fled  away."  All 
the  papal  or  ecclesiastical  powers,  the  pope,  cardinals,  bishops, 
archbishops,  priests,  and  monks,  fled  away ;  and  for  the  second, 
^^  xVnd  the  mountains  were  not  found,"  and  the  kings  were  found 
no  more  :  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  are  become  the  kingdoms 
of  the  Lord  (Dan.  2:44). 

^'And  there  fell  upon  men  a  great  hail  out  of  heaven,  eveiy 
stone  about  the  weight  of  a  talent."  We  have  seen  already  that 
under  the  emblem  of  ^'  hail,"  which  destroys  the  harvest,  the  pro- 
phet represents  the  wars,  which  destroy  men  and  kingdoms  as  the 
hail  destroys  the  harvest.  But  no  war  was  ever  so  bloody  as  that 
spoken  of  here,  under  the  emblem  of  "  every  stone  about  the 
weight  of  a  talent."  It  will  be  the  work  of  the  Lord,  for  the  hail  fell 
"  out  of  heaven ;"  and  he  makes  use,  not  only  of  armies  to  destroy 
his  enemies,  but  he  has  yet  in  his  power,  the  flimine  and  pesti- 
lence, to  reap  the  wicked  which  have  been  preserved  fi'om  the  de- 
struction of  the  war  (18  :  8).  ^^And  men  blasphemed  God  be- 
cause of  the  plague  of  the  hail;  for  the  plague  thereof — war, 
famine,  and  pestilence, — was  exceeding  great."  The  papist  and  the 
unconverted  Protestant,  who  has  also  the  mark  of  the  beast,  by  his 
infidelity,  can'  still  come  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  take  refuge 
under  the  wings  of  the  Almighty.  At  the  time  of  the  plague,  it 
will  be  too  late  :  they  shall  blaspheme  God  instead  of  repenting, 
when  they  shall  be  suddenly  overwhelmed  by  these  plagues ;  be- 
cause they  did  not  seek  the  Lord,  when  he  was  easy  to  be  found. 
Let  us  not  wait  until  it  shall  be  too  late ;  for  the  Lord  is  at  the 
door. 


CHAPTER    XVIL 

DESCRIPTION    OF   A   GREAT   WIIORE — HER   CHARACTERS. 

This  chapter  is  as  the  key  to  the  Revelation.     The  prophet  ex- 
plains here  the  most  difficult  emblems,  under  Avhich  the  masterpiece 


COMMENTARY.  175 

of  Satan  has  been  represented  in  tlie  tliirteenth  chapter.  The  great 
city,  which  is  the  seat  of  this  empire,  which  we  saw  arising  out  of 
its  ruins,  and  to  which  was  given  a  mouth  speaking  great  things 
and  blasphemies,  is  called  a  great  whore,  that  sitteth  upon  many 
waters ;  with  whom  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornica- 
tion, and  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  with 
the  wine  of  her  fornication.  From  the  description  of  the  prophet 
himself,  we  can  learn  :  1.  What  is  that  great  whore.  2.  Where  is 
her  dwelling-place.  3.  The  first  time  of  her  existence.  4.  The 
acts  of  her  reign.  5.  And  what  shall  be  her  end.  As  the  popes 
have  been  pointed  out,  in  the  course  of  this  exposition,  as  ''the 
man  of  sin,  the  son  of  perdition,'^  generally  called  "  Antichrist,'' 
and  his  Church,  as  the  great  whore,  it  is  important  to  examine  at- 
tentively whether  the  characters,  given  here,  may  be  applied  to  the 
Eoman  Church,  and  to  its  head, — and  to  them  alone. 

Let  us  remember  first,  that  Rome  is  built  upon  seven  mountains 
called  the  "  Mounts  Aventine,  Capitoline,  Coslius,  Esquiline,  Palatine, 
Quirinal,  and  Viminal.''  2.  That  she  had  seven  forms  of  government, 
"  kings,  consuls,  decemviri,  tribunes,  dictators,  emperors,  exarchs 
or  dukes;"  and  that  popedom  is  the  eighth,  3.  That  the  Homan 
Empire  was  destroyed  by  ten  barbarian  people  :  "  the  Huns,  Alains, 
Goths  (divided  into  Visigoths  and  Ostrogoths,  or  eastern  and 
western  Groths),  Franks,  Saxons,  Suevi,  Vandals,  Bourguignons 
Heruli,  and  Lombards.''  That  these  barbarians,  incorporated  with 
the  ancient  inhabitants,  formed  ten  kingdoms  out  of  the  ruins  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  and  that  three  of  them — those  of  the  Ostro- 
goths, Heruli,  and  Lombards, — were  given  to  the  bishops  of  Rome, 
by  the  kings  of  France,  Pepin,  Charlemagne,  and  Louis  the  Pious, 
These  ten  barbarian  nations,  are  represented  by  the  prophet  Daniel, 
under  the  emblem  of  "  the  ten  horns  of  the  fourth  beast ;"  and 
popedom,  under  that  of  a  "  little  horn,"  diverse  from  the  others, 
and  before  which,  three  of  the  former  fell.  All  these  people — the 
French,  and  all  those  who  are  of  the  same  origin, — the  English, 
and  all  those  who  are  of  the  Saxon  origin, — the  Spaniards,  and  all 
those  who  are  of  the  same  origin,  and  speak  the  same  language, — 
the  Italians,  and  so  with  the  other  nations, — formed  as  many  king- 
doms, which,  having  received  the  papal  religion,  became  as  so  many 
provinces,  tributary  to  the  papal  empire,  which  was  in  this  manner 
an  image  of  the  first  Roman  pagan  empire.  For  papal  Rome  has, 
as  well  as  the  pagan,  her  sovereign  pontiff,  her  priesthood,  and 
vestal  virgins ;  she  has  her  supreme  Grod,  together  with  saints  and 
saintessess,  or  demigods;  she  has  also  a  queen  of  heaven,  feasts  and 
fasts,  penances  and  flagellations,  to  obtain  forgiveness  of  sins ;  she 
has  lying  wonders  and  processions,  oficrings  and  sprinklings,  vows 


176  COMMENTARY. 

and  conjuring  words;  so  that  papal  Rome,  is  both  in  civil  govern- 
ment and  religious  worship,  an  image  of  the  pagan  Roman  Empire. 

V.  1,  2,  "And  there  came  one  of  the  seven  angels  which  had  the  seven 
vials,  and  talked  with  me,  saying  unto  me.  Come  hither;  I  will  show  unto 
thee  the  judgment  of  the  great  whore,  that  sitteth  upon  many  waters;  with 
whom  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of  her  fornication." 

The  waters,  upon  which  the  great  whore  sitteth,  "  are  peoples, 
and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues;'^  that  is,  the  barbarians 
who  destroyed  the  Roman  Empire ;  and  the  woman  (the  religion), 
called  the  '^  great  whore,"  is  ^'that  great  city,  which  reigneth  over 
the  kings  of  the  earth"  (verse  15,  18).  When  the  Pope  has 
decided  some  theological  question,  we  say  by  metonymy,  or  trans- 
position of  names,  "Rome  has  spoken,  the  aflair  is  ended;"  in  the 
same  manner,  the  city  is  taken  for  the  chief,  who  has  his  seat  there, 
and  for  the  religion,  called  the  great  whore,  through  which  he 
reigns  over  the  kings  of  the  earth.  Therefore,  this  great  whore  is 
the  city  taken  for  the  religion,  which  her  king  propagates  among 
those  different  nations.  The  Papist  Vega,  Viegas  and  Ribera, 
concur  in  the  opinion  that  Rome  is  evidently  pointed  out  by  the 
prophet  in  his  description  of  the  city ;  and  the  Cardinal  Bellarmine 
confesses,  that  it  cannot  be  understood  otherwise.  But  some  main- 
tain, that  pagan  Rome  is  there  spoken  of;  and  the  others  think 
that  Catholic  Rome  will  apostatize  at  the  end  of  the  world.  What- 
ever may  be  their  opinion,  it  is  thus  granted  by  popish  doctors  that 
Rome,  either  pagan  or  papal,  is  the  seat  of  Antichrist. 

"  With  whom  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornica- 
tion." In  the  style  of  the  holy  writings,  a  whore  represents  an 
idolatrous  Church  (Ez.  23) ;  the  Christians,  who  apostatize  from 
Christianity,  to  follow  her  idolatrous  worship,  commit  "adultery;" 
and  "fornication,"  if  they  are  but  nominal  Christians  (2  :  22);  for 
they  have  been  repudiated ;  and  Jesus  is  not  the  bridegroom  of 
such  churches.  The  kings  of  the  earth  have  made  an  impure 
alliance  with  that  great  whore,  in  receiving  her  idolatrous  doc- 
trines, and  in  enforcing  them  upon  their  subjects  (13  :  5-9),  who 
"  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of  her  fornication."  As 
men  are  deprived  of  reason  and  understanding  by  the  excess  of 
wine,  so  Papists,  who  have  imbibed  her  poisonous  doctrines,  are 
deprived  of  reason  and  understanding,  and  are  induced  to  trample 
under  foot  the  holy  law  of  God,  and  to  commit  in  his  holy  name, 
the  most  atrocious  crimes.  Pagan  Rome  did  not  impose  the  wor- 
ship of  her  gods  upon  the  nations,  which  she  had  vanquished ;  on 
the  contrary,  she  gave  to  their  own  gods  an  honorable  place  in  the 


COMMENTARY.  177 

capitol  of  Jupiter.     Therefore,  the  characters,  described  here   by 
the  prophet,  are  true  only  as  applied  to  papal  Rome. 

V.  3-5.  "  So  he  carried  me  a^vay  in  the  spirit  into  the  wilderness:  and  I 
saw  a  woman  sit  upon  a  scarlet-colored  beast,  full  of  names  of  blasphemy, 
having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.  And  the  woman  was  arrayed  in  purple 
and  scarlet  color,  and  decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  pearls, 
having  a  golden  cup  in  her  hand,  full  of  abominations  and  lilthiness  of  her 
fornication  :  and  upon  her  forehead  was  a  name  written,  Mystery,  Babylon 
THE  Great,  the  mother  of  harlots  and  abomination  of  the  earth. 

The  prophet,  being  under  a  powerful  agency  of  the  Holy  G-host, 
was  carried  into  the  wilderness,  where  he  saw  "  a  woman  (a  reli- 
gion 12  : 1;  Ez.  23),  sit  upon  a  scarlet-colored  beast,  full  of  names 
of  blasphemy,  having  seven  heads  and  ten  horns.'^  We  have  seen 
already  the  description  of  this  beast  (13  : 1-4),  which  is  the  emblem 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  whose  provinces  were  divided  among  the  ten 
barbarian  nations,  by  which  it  was  destroyed.  Every  one  knows 
that  the  Pope  and  his  cardinals  are  arrayed,  as  were  formerly  the 
Roman  emperors,  ^'in  purple  and  scarlet  color/'  so  that  the  woman, 
that  sits  upon  the  throne  of  the  Cscsars,  and  to  whom  she  has  suc- 
ceeded, is  made  an  image  of  the  beast,  which  had  the  wound  by 
the  sword  of  the  barbarians,  not  only  in  power,  government,  and 
idolatrous  worship,  but  also  in  her  gorgeous  array.  She  despises 
the  simplicity  of  the  evangelical  worship,  in  sj)irit  and  in  truth,  and 
glories  in  the  riches  of  the  earth,  in  the  pomp  of  a  dazzling  wor- 
ship, and  in  the  magnificence  of  priestly  vestments.  The  '^golden 
cup  in  her  hand,  full  of  abominations  and  filthiness  of  her  fornica- 
tion," is  the  emblem  of  her  power  and  riches,  which  are  the  fruits 
of  her  ambition,  and  of  her  apostacy ;  and  the  abominations  and 
filthiness  of  which  it  is  full,  are  her  mock  sacrifices  for  the  living 
and  for  the  dead,  the  annats,  investitures,  dispensations,  indulgences, 
and  her  tariff  for  the  forgiveness  of  small  and  great  offences.  But 
whatever  may  be  her  hellish  impositions,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  are  willing  to  drink  the  poisonous  wine,  by  which  they  are 
made  drunk,  because  the  cup  is  of  gold.  They  are  promised  riches, 
honors,  and  civil  and  ecclesiastical  dignities ;  they  are  permitted  to 
enjoy  peacefully,  the  delights  of  the  present  life,  while  Protestants 
are  hunted  and  destroj^ed  like  wild  beasts  :  *'  If  thou  wilt  worship 
me,''  said  Satan  to  Jesus,  ^^all  shall  be  thine;"  and  so  did  the  great 
whore  throughout  the  past  ages. 

But  how  is  it  that  this  great  whore,  that  reigns  over  many  people, 
and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and  which  boasts  to  be  Catholic,  be- 
cause she  has  churches  over  all  the  face  of  the  earthy  could  be  seen, 


178  COMMENTARY. 

sitting  upon  the  scarlet-colored  beast,  in  a  wilderness  ?  St.  Paul 
speaks  of  the  heathens,  as  of  "  things  that  are  not ;"  because  the 
multitudes  of  people  who  worship  idols,  are  but  nought  before  Grod. 
There  is  not  to  be  found,  in  all  the  extent  of  the  empire  of  the 
king-priest,  either  a  Bible  or  a  real  faith  in  the  Saviour ;  there  is 
neither  true  sacrifice,  nor  true  worship,  nor  true  Mediator,  nor 
atonement :  there  is  but  a  priest  with  his  fanciful  power ;  saints, 
images,  relics,  blessed  water  and  tapers,  as  mediators,  to  deliver 
from  the  devil,  and  good  works,  to  reconcile  them  with  God; 
and  consequently,  however  immense  may  be  the  empire  of  the 
great  whore,  it  is  but  a  wilderness,  without  water  and  without 
the  bread  of  life.  Everywhere  in  the  empire  of  the  great  whore, 
men  are  taught  to  believe  that  the  popes  are  "  the  representatives  of 
God  on  the  earth — vicars  of  Jesus  Christ;"  "  infiillible  ;''  "above 
the  word  of  God  ;"  "  that  they  have  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell 
either  to  save  or  damn  ■"  "  and  that  out  of  their  religion  there  is 
no  salvation."  And  these  men,  whose  throne  stands  upon  a  sea  of 
blood,  and  whose  crimes  are  written  with  a  pen  of  iron,  and  with 
the  point  of  a  diamond,  in  the  annals  of  history,  and  in  the  book  of 
remembrance  before  God,  style  themselves  "  His  Holiness  V  and 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  are  leagued  with  them  to  enforce  their 
Antichristian  religion  upon  their  subjects,  and  to  destroy  the  ser- 
vants of  the  Lord,  are  adorned  with  the  titles  of  "  Most  Christian 
Kings  I"  Their  idolatry  is  called  "  Christianity,  the  True  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ ;"  and  true  Christianity  is  styled  by  them  "Abomi- 
nable heresy,"  and  the  true  worshippers  are  hunted  and  destroyed 
like  wild  beasts  !  "  And  I  saw  a  woman  sit  upon  a  scarlet-colored 
beast,  full  of  names  of  blasphemy  \" 

"  And  upon  her  forehead  was  a  name  written.  Mystery,  Babylon 
the  great,  the  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth." 
Here  is  the  mystery  of  the  great  whore.  There  is  upon  her  fore- 
head a  mysterious  inscription,  whose  meaning  and  value,  according 
to  the  judgment  of  God,  is  "  Babylon  the  great,  the  mother  of 
harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth ;"  and  this  name  or  inscrip- 
tion is,  "  the  Roman  church,  the  first  and  mother  of  all  churches, 
out  of  which  there  is  no  salvation  :"  which  assumption,  in  the  sight 
of  God,  is  equivalent  to  "  the  mystic  Babylon,  the  mother  of  harlots 
(churches),  and  the  cause  of  infidelity,  idolatry,  tyranny,  impiety, 
sacrilege,  immoralities,  thefts,  and  murders — of  all  the  abomina- 
tions of  the  earth."  The  word  "  mystery,"  at  the  head  of  the 
inscription,  admonishes  us  that  the  name,  written  upon  her  fore- 
head, is  not  "  Babylon  the  great ;"  but  that  it  is  the  mysterious  or 
hidden  meaning  of  another,  which  is  known  by  everybody,  since  it 
is  written  upon  her  forehead. 


COMMENTARY.  179 

V.  6,  7,  "  And  I  saw  the  woman  drunken  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and 
with  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus  :  and  when  I  saw  her,  I  wondered 
with  great  admiration.  And  the  angel  said  unto  me,  Wherefore  didst  thou 
marvel?  I  will  tell  thee  the  mystery  of  the  woman,  and  of  the  beast  that 
carrieth  her,  which  hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns." 

The  Abbot  Frayssinous  confesses  (conferences  religieuses)  that 
there  has  been,  every  year,  an  average  of  six  thousand  victims  of 
the  papal  religion  ]  and  he  insinuates  that  such  a  number  of  martyrs 
of  its  intolerance,  is  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  great  good  she 
has  conferred  upon  society.  But  the  benefits  of  Christianity,  which 
the  Roman  Church  claims  to  herself,  do  not  belong  to  her.  Popery 
exists  only  from  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century;  and  she 
can  glory  only  of  the  calamities,  which  have  since  been  inflicted 
upon  mankind — of  having  built  superb  cathedrals  to  gratify  her 
pride  and  vanity — and  of  having  preserved  in  her  monasteries  the 
precious  works  of  the  great  men  of  antiquity.  But  what  is  that, 
for  the  riches  of  the  earth,  which  she  possessed,  and  in  comparison 
with  the  evils  which  she  has  done  ?  We  know  already  the  mas- 
sacres of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  and  those  of  Ireland  ;  the  crusades 
against  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses ;  the  wars  against  Bohemia 
and  Moravia ;  and  the  dragoonings  of  Louis  XIV.  We  can  add 
the  twelve  millions  of  the  natives  of  America,  who  were  slaugh- 
tered like  wild  beasts,  by  the  Spaniards  commanded  by  the  monks, 
as  well  as  the  millions  of  victims  of  the  Inquisition  in  Groa  and 
in  the  countries  which  were  under  her  dominion.  According  to 
the  reckoning  of  the  victims  of  the  Inquisition  in  Spain,  during 
339  years,  extracted  from  the  books  of  the  inquisitors,  the  number 
amounts  to  34,658  souls,  sent  into  hell,  after  having  been  cursed  by 
the  inquisitors,  before  burning  at  the  stake  ;  to  18,049  burned  in 
eflSgy  ;  and  to  288,214  condemned  to  prison  or  to  the  galleys.  This 
number,  for  Spain  alone,  makes  more  than  1000  victims  every  year; 
therefore,  instead  of  an  average  of  6000  a  year,  we  can  treble  this 
number.  And  yet,  though  the  number  of  victims  should  be  only 
an  average  of  6000  a  year,  or  of  100,  or  even  of  10  victims,  could 
such  a  religion  boast  to  be  the  religion  of  the  meek  and  holy  Son 
of  God  ?  That  is  the  reason  for  which  the  prophet  "  wondered 
with  great  admiration,^'  at  seeing  this  Roman  Church,  whose  faith 
was  spoken  of  throughout  the  whole  world  (Rom.  1  :  8),  "drunken 
with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of 
Jesus,''  and  being,  now,  an  idolatrous  and  tyrannical  Babylon,  cast- 
ing into  a  fiery  furnace,  or  into  dark  dungeons,  the  servants  of 
Grod,  who  refused  to  kneel  down  before  her  images,  and  dared  to 
invoke  and  worship  God  in  the  manner  which  he  has  appointed. 
All  these  characters  designate  evidently  the  papal  church  ;  and  if 


180  COMMENTARY. 

there  is  stiil  some  incertitude  in  our  minds,  tlie  prophet  will  tell  us 
yet  more  clearly  the  mystery  of  the  woman  and  of  the  beast  that 
carrieth  her,  which  hath  the  seven  heads  and  ten  horns. 

V.  8.  "  The  beast  that  thou  sawest  was,  and  is  not ;  and  shall  ascend  out 
of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  go  into  perdition:  and  they  that  dwell  on  the  earth 
shall  wonder,  whose  names  were  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world,  when  they  behold  the  beast  that  was,  and  is  not, 
and  yet  is." 

This  verse,  which  at  iSrst  reading,  seems  to  be  an  inexplicable 
riddle,  offers  no  diihcuity,  if  we  remember  that  the  Eoman  Empire, 
which  overruled  all  the  world,  was,  according  to  the  prophet  Daniel, 
to  be  destroyed  by  ten  people,  and  to  be  restored  again,  out  of  its 
ruins,  by  the  kings  of  these  people,  and  by  another  diverse  from 
the  first ;  and  this  empire  thus  restored  was  to  be  consumed  and 
destroyed  a  second  time,  that  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  should  be  set 
up.  Therfore  the  meaning  is,  "  the  beast  that  thou  sawest  was" (the 
Roman  Empire  which  thou  sawest  existed),  "  and  is  not"  (after  its 
destruction);  "  and  shall  ascend  out  of  the  bottomless  pit"  (out  of 
its  ruins,  13  : 1-4),  "  and  go  into  perdition  '/'  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth,  whose  names  were  not  written  in  the  book  of  life  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  shall  wonder,  "  when  they  behold  the 
beast  that  was"  (before  its  fall),  "  and  is  not"  (after  having  been 
destroyed  by  the  barbarians),  "  and  yet  is"  (and  yet  exists  by  the 
power  which  the  popes  exercise  over  the  subjects  of  the  kingdoms, 
which  have  been  formed  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  same  empire).  It 
will  be  the  same  x\ntichristian  and  idolatrous  empire ;  and  though 
it  will  persecute  and  destroy  the  saints  of  the  Lord,  worldly  men 
shall  obey  its  laws,  and  shall  wonder  at  the  Satanic  wisdom,  by 
which  the  Church,  united  together  with  the  State,  was  enabled  to 
enforce,  upon  every  man,  the  chimera  of  the  unity  of  the  Church, 
under  a  terrestrial  chief,  clothed  with  the  attributes  of  the  divinity. 
That  was  the  masterpiece  of  Satan,  which  we  have  examined  pre- 
viously :  "  And  they  worshipped  the  beast,  sajang.  Who  is  like 
unto  the  beast  ?     Who  is  able  to  make  war  with  him  ?"   (13  :4.) 

This  unnatural  union  of  the  State  and  Church  is  represented  by 
the  prophet  Daniel  (2  :  43),  under  the  image  of  iron  mixed  with 
clay  in  the  toes  of  the  feet  of  the  great  image  of  Nebuchadnezzar  j 
and  the  second  existence  of  the  Roman  Empire  is  also  clearly  fore- 
told, by  the  same  prophet,  in  his  prophecy  concerning  the  four 
great  monarchies,  which  were  to  hold  the  sceptre  of  the  kingdom 
of  this  world,  to  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord. 

After  having  represented  the  first  three  great  monarchies, 
namely,  that  of  the  ('haldeans  under  Nebuchadnezzar,  that  of  the 


COMMENTARY.  181 

Medes  and  Persians,  under  Cyrus ;  and  that  of  the  Greeks,  under 
Alexander,  under  the  respective  symbols  of  a  lion,  a  bear,  and  a 
leopard,  the  prophet  says  :  '■'•  After  this  I  saw  in  the  night  visions, 
and  behold  a  fourth  beast,  dreadful  and  terrible,  and  strong  exceed- 
ingly ;  and  it  had  great  iron  teeth  :  it  devoured  and  brake  in  pieces, 
and  stamped  the  residue  with  the  feet  of  it :  and  it  was  diverse 
from  all  the  beasts  that  were  before  it ;  and  it  had  ten  horns.  I 
considered  the  horns,  and,  behold,  there  came  up  among  them 
another  little  horn,  before  whom  there  were  three  of  the  first  horns 
plucked  up  by  the  roots :  and,  behold,  in  this  horn  were  eyes  like 
men,  and  a  mouth  speaking  great  things;"  that  is,  though  the 
king,  represented  by  this  little  horn,  were  but  an  ambitious,  worldly 
man,  seeing  the  things  of  this  world  and  eternity,  with  the  eyes  of 
a  natural,  irreligious  man,  he  had  a  religion,  boasting  of  great 
things,  to  be  as  a  god  on  the  earth,  and  having  all  power  on  earth 
and  in  heaven. 

The  prophet  wishing  to  know  the  truth  of  the  fourth  beast,  "  and 
of  the  ten  horns  that  were  in  his  head,  and  of  the  other  which 
came  up,  and  before  whom  three  fell ;  even  of  that  horn  that  had 
eyes,  and  a  mouth  that  spake  very  great  things,  whose  look  was 
more  stout  than  his  fellows"  (the  most  powerful  kings  were  but  the 
vassals  of  the  popes),  he  beheld,  "  and  the  same  horn  made  war 
with  the  saints,  and  prevailed  against  them ;  until  the  Ancient  of 
Days  came,  and  judgment  was  given  to  the  saints  of  the  most  high; 
and  the  time  came  that  the  saints  possessed  the  kingdom,  thus  he" 
^(one  of  them  that  stood  by)  said,  The  fourth  beast  shall  be  the 
fourth  kingdom  upon  earth,  which  shall  be  diverse  from  all  king- 
doms, and  shall  devour  the  whole  earth,  and  shall  tread  it  down, 
and  break  it  in  pieces.  And  the  ten  horns  out  of  this  kingdom  are 
ten  kings  that  shall  arise  (after  its  destruction);  "and  another  shall 
rise  after  them"  (popery  in  606);  '^  and  he  shall  be  diverse  from 
the  first"  (as  a  king-priest  is  diverse  from  the  kings),  "and  he 
shall  subdue  three  kings"  (Heruli,  Visigoths  and  the  Lombards). 
"  And  he  shall  speak  great  words  against  the  Most*  High,  and  shall 
wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  think  to  change  times 
and  laws"  (showing  the  arrogance  of  his  pretensions  and  his  rash- 
ness in  adding  his  laws  to  the  commands  of  God,  and  declaring 
that  his  power  is  above  the  word  of  God)  :  "  and  they  shall  be 
given  into  his  hands  until  a  time,  and  times  and  the  dividing  of 
time ;"  that  is,  1260  years  (Dan.  7  :  7-27). 

We  may  see  from  this  prophecy  of  Daniel,  which  is  as  the  nucleus 
of  the  book  of  Revelation,  that  the  fourth  monarchy — that  of  the 
Roman  Empire — has  two  existences,  the  first  represented  by  the 
beast  itself ;  and  the  second,  by  the  ten  horns,  or  ten  kings  tha* 

10. 


183  C  0  IM  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y. 

shall  arise  out  of  it ;  and  by  the  little  horn,  whose  look  was  more 
stout  than  his  fellows,  and  before  whom  three  of  the  first  fell.  The 
following  passage  of  our  prophet  will  show  evidently  that  the  same 
beast  is  alluded  to  in  either  of  the  prophets,  and  that  the  pope  is 
the  little  horn^  diverse  from  the  others,  and  which  arose  after  the 
first. 

V.  9-12.  "And  here  is  the  mind  which  hath  wisdom.  The  seven  heads 
are  seven  mountains,  on  which  the  woman  sitteth.  And  there  are  seven 
kings  :  five  are  fallen,  and  one  is,  mid  the  other  is  not  yet  come  :  and  when 
he  cometh,  he  must  continue  a  short  space.  And  the  beast  that  was,  and  is 
not,  even  he  is  the  eighth,  and  is  of  the  seven,  and  goeth  into  perdition.  And 
the  ten  horns  which  tliou  sawest  are  ten  kings,  which  have  received  no 
kingdom  as  yet ;  but  receive  power  as  kings  one  hour  with  the  beast." 

"  And  here  is  the  mind"  (the  explanation  of  the  mystery  of  the 
beast  for  him)  "  which  hath  wisdom.  The  seven  heads  are  seven 
mountains,  on  which  the  woman"  (the  great  city;  verse  18,  and  by 
metonymy  the  great  papal  religion)  "  sitteth.  And  there  are  seven 
kings"  (seven  forms  of  government,  indicated  by  the  seven  crowns 
upon  his  heads,  12  :  8).  When  the  prophet  saw  this  vision,  '^  five 
are  fallen/'  namely,  the  kings,  consuls,  decemviri,  tribunes,  and 
dictators,  "  and  one  is,"  to  wit,  the  emperors ;  "  and  the  other  is 
not  yet  come,'^  the  Ravenna's  exarchs,  under  which  Rome  was  but 
a  Dukedom,  which  was  under  their  power  about  one  hundred 
years.  "And  the  beast  that  was,  and  is  not"  (the  Roman  Empire 
which  was  then,  and  which  was  to  be  destroyed  by  the  barba- 
rians), even  the  same  empire  "  he  is  the  eighth"  (the  eighth  form 
of  government  raised  up  out  of  its  ruins).  Is  there  any  possibility 
to  see,  in  this  description,  anything  else  than  popedom,  the  eighth 
form  and  the  image  of  the  Roman  Empire  ?  Again,  "  and  is  of 
the  seven  :"  that  is,  has  succeeded  to  the  first  seven  forms  of 
government,  "  and  goeth  into  perdition,"  having  only  1260  years 
of  existence,  "  given  her  for  repentance,  and  she  repented  not" 
(2:21). 

"And  the  ten  horns  which  thou  sawest  are  ten  kings,  which 
have  received  no  kingdom  as  yet  (at  the  time  of  the  prophecy) ; 
but  receive  power  as  kings  one  hour  with  the  beast,"  the  emblem 
of  the  papal  empire,  the  second  beast  of  the  thirteenth  chapter. 
Daniel  says,  that  the  little  horn,  the  emblem  of  popedom,  diverse 
from  the  first,  and  whose  look  was  more  stout  than  his  fellows, 
"  shall  rise  after  them,  and  shall  subdue  three  kings,"  namely 
Odoacer,  Theodoric,  and  Alboin,  or  the  Heruli,  Ostrogoths,  and  the 
Lombards.  Therefore  the  date  of  the  existence  of  Antichrist  is 
clearly  determined  by  either  of  the  prophets. 

Though  the  mystery  of  iniquity  did  already  work  in  the  time  of 


COMMENTARY.  183 

St.  Paul,  the  man  of  sin,  the  son  of  perdition,  could  not  be  mani- 
fested before  the  overthrow  of  the  Roman  Empire  (2  Th.  2  :  7-12). 
The  key  of  the  bottomless  pit,  of  the  ruins  of  that  empire,  was 
given,  as  we  have  seen  previously  (9  :  1,  2),  to  a  fallen  angel,  or 
bishop,  namely,  to  Boniface  III.,  who  opened  the  bottomless  pit  of 
its  destruction,  and  brought  forth  out  of  it  popery  and  the  Dark 
Ages.  According  to  St.  John,  the  kings,  who  divided  among 
themselves  the  spoils  of  the  Koman  Empire,  should  receive  power 
as  kings,  at  the  same  time  with  the  beast,  representing  popedom ; 
and,  according  to  Daniel  (7  :  24),  popedom  should  rise  after  them, 
and  subdue  three  of  these  kings.  But  the  former  says  only  that  they 
shall  receive  power  as  kings,  at  the  same  time,  as  it  is  true  that  the 
bishops  of  Rome  enjoyed  an  imperial  authority  and  power  among 
the  barbarians,  and  commenced,  then,  to  regulate  political  mat- 
ters ;  and  the  latter  says  that  the  little  horn  (the  king-priest) 
diverse  from  the  first,  shall  rise  or  be  manifested  after  the  others, 
as  it  is  true  according  to  history.  Hence  we  may  infer  that  the 
great  Antichrist,  the  man  of  sin,  was  to  be  revealed  neither  under 
pagan  Rome,  nor  under  papal  Rome,  at  the  end  of  the  world ;  but 
after  the  destruction  of  the  empire.  The  great  whore,  sitting  on 
the  throne  of  the  Caesars,  is  the  eighth  form  of  government  of  this 
empire,  and  the  image,  in  its  horns,  of  the  empire  represented 
under  the  emblem  of  the  beast,  which  was  wounded  to  death,  and 
wjiose  deadly  wound  was  healed  by  popedom  :  "  And  the  beast  that 
was,  and  is  not,  even  he  is  the  eighth,  and  is  of  the  seven"  (in- 
heriting from  them),  "  and  goeth  into  perdition." 

V.  13,  14.  "  These  have  one  mind,  and  shall  give  their  power  and  strength 
inito  the  beast.  These  shall  make  war  with  the  Lamb,  and  the  Lamb  shall 
overcome  them :  for  he  is  Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of  kings :  and  they  that 
are  with  him  are  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful." 

''These  have  one  mind."  The  kings  of  the  earth  have  often- 
times been  trodden  under  foot  of  the  popes ;  many  times  they  had 
wars  with  them,  and  their  kingdoms  have  often  been  groaning 
under  the  covetous  papal  exactions;  but,  notwithstanding  that, 
they  have  always  been  slavishly  submissive  to  their  idolatrous 
religion, — always  ready  to  support  their  infernal  traffic  of  holy 
things, — to  protect  their  tyranny  and  pretensions, — to  obey  their 
orders  to  make  war  with  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to 
destroy  Christianity  out  of  their  kingdoms :  so,  the  kings  and  the 
popes  had  ''one  mind;"  and  the  kings  gave  "their  power  and 
strength  unto  the  beast,"  to  make  war  with  the  redeemed;  but,  in 
so  doing,  they  were  making  war  with  the  l^amb ;  for  this  cause, 
he  will  break  them  in  pieces  in  the  day  of  his  wrath.     For  he  it  is, 


184  COMMENTARY. 

— ^not  the  pope, — who  is  Lord  of  lords  and  King  of  kings.  Like- 
wise, they  are  not  the  followers  of  the  popes,  those  that  are 
*^  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful ;"  but  they  are  those  who  are 
with  the  Lamb,  who  read  his  word,  and  keep  his  commandments, 
though  they  be  hunted  like  wild  beasts,  and  killed  by  the  kings 
and  the  popes  united  together; — this  unity  of  mind  and  purpose 
between  the  kings  and  the  popes, — the  iron  mixed  with  the  miry 
clay, — is  yet  true  and  conformed  to  history. 

V.  15-18.  "And  he  saith  unto  me,  The  waters  which  thou  sawest,  where 
the  whore  sitteth,  are  peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues. 
And  the  ten  horns  which  thou  sawest  upon  the  beast,  these  shall  hate  the 
whore,  and  shall  make  her  desolate  and  naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh,  and 
burn  her  with  fire.  For  God  hath  put  in  their  hearts  to  fulfil  his  will,  and 
to  agree,  and  give  their  kingdom  unto  the  beast,  until  the  words  of  God  shall 
be  fulfilled.  And  the  woman  which  thou  sawest  is  that  great  city,  which 
reigneth  over  the  kings  of  the  earth." 

The  Koman  Church  boasts  to  be  the  Catholic  Church,  because 
her  doctrines  are  taught  and  professed  throughout  all  the  world. 
But  the  catholicity  of  a  church  does  not  consist  in  her  being 
known  and  professed  everywhere ;  but  in  her  teaching  the  same 
doctrines,  which  have  been  taught  at  all  times  by  the  Christian 
churches,  to  the  time  of  the  apostles.  Now,  if  we  compare  the 
teachings  of  the  Koman  Church  with  those  of  the  primitive 
churches,  whose  teachings  are  found  in  the  gospels  and  in  the 
epistles  of  the  apostles  to  the  same  churches,  we  find  that  there  is 
between  them  a  great  chasm ;  and  either  Papal  Rome  or  the  Pri- 
mitive Church,  Jerusalem,  &c.,  is  not  a  Christian,  a  Catholic 
Church.  Therefore,  the  Roman  Church  is  not  Catholic,  though 
she  has  the  name,  and  though  she  reigns,  as^a  queen,  over  many 
peoples,  and  multitudes,  and  nations,  and  tongues;  that  is,  over 
the  barbarians,  who  destroyed  the  Roman  Empire;  for  it  is 
under  that  denomination  that  they  are  alluded  to  by  the  prophet 
(10  :  11).  But  the  same  people,  called  in  our  days,  '^  English, 
French,  Dutch,  Germans,  Austrians,  Spaniards,  Italians,  Portu- 
guese," shall  hate  the  whore,  "  and  shall  make  her  desolate,  and 
naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh,  and  burn  her  with  fire ;"  that  is, 
they  shall  rise  up  against  her,  and  shall  take  away  her  riches  and 
power ;  they  shall  sell  her  rich  domains,  seigniories,  abbeys,  and 
monasteries,  which  are  ^' her  flesh;"  because,  through  her  riches, 
she  was  enabled  to  live  deliciously;  and  so  they  "shall  eat  her 
flesh,"  when  they  shall  strip  her  of  her  wealth,  and  rich  estates, 
and  kingdom. 

These  predictions  have  already  been  accomplished  to  the  letter, 


COMMENTARY.  185 

at  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution  of  1793,  when  the  rich 
estates  of  the  clergy,  its  monasteries,  and  vast  domains,  were  sold, 
not  by  strangers,  but  by  her  own  children,  who  hate  her,  and  who 
will  soon  burn  her  with  the  fire  of  wars.  Spain,  even  Catholic 
Spain,  not  long  ago,  seized  upon  eight  hundred  convents,  which 
were  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  State.  But  that  is  only  the  begin- 
ning of  sorrows,  and  the  end  is  at  hand.  ''  For  God  hath  put  in 
their  hearts  to  fulfil  his  will,  and  to  agree,  and  give  their  kingdom 
unto  the  beast,  until  the  words  of  God  shall  be  fulfilled.''  Instead 
of  studying  the  mysteries  of  humility,  piety,  and  holiness,  in  the 
manger  at  Bethlehem,  in  the  carpenter's  shop  at  Nazareth,  in  the 
garden  at  Gethsemane,  or  in  the  Mount  Golgotha,  they  chose 
rather  a  fashionable  religion,  with  pompous  and  imposing  cere- 
monies, rivalling  those  of  the  heathens;  and  God,  in  his  anger, 
permitted  that  they  should  be  enticed  by  the  papal  show 
and  by  the  golden  cup  of  the  great  whore,  so  that  they  should 
agree,  for  a  little  while,  with  the  great  whore,  to  give  her  power 
over  themselves,  to  support  her  atrocious  crusades  against  the 
servants  of  the  Lord,  in  order  that  they  should  be  punished  for 
their  unfaithfulness  by  the  same  tyrannical  power  of  the  great 
whore  over  themselves.  But,  when  the  will  of  God  shall  be  ful- 
filled, the  same  God,  who  has  a  sovereign  power  over  the  minds  of 
men,  will  open  their  eyes,  and  show  them  the  deformity  of  the  old, 
ugly,  toothless,  and  wrinkled  great  whore,  whose  throne  is  esta- 
blished on  a  sea  of  blood,  and  upon  the  corpses  of  more  than  fifty 
millions  of  victims  of  her  black  and  devilish  tyranny.  Then,  they 
shall  acknowledge  that  some  Satanic  enchantment  had  fascinated 
their  minds;  that  the  golden  cup,  which  she  presented  them,  as 
the  emblem  of  happiness,  did  not  contain  anything  else  than  igno- 
rance, degradation,  bondage,  and  misery  in  this  life,  and  gnashing 
of  teeth  in  the  world  to  come.  Then  they  shall  make  her  desolate 
and  naked,  and  shall  eat  her  flesh,  and  burn  her  with  fire ;  and  so, 
her  own  children,  the  Roman  Catholics,  shall  be,  in  the  hands  of 
God,  the  very  instrumentalities  of  her  destruction  (see  19  :  17-21). 
If  we  examine  all  the  characters  of  the  man  of  sin,  commonly 
called  "Antichrist,"  we  cannot  find  him  either  in  pagan  or  in 
papal  Rome  apostatizing  at  the  end  of  the  world.  Her  apostacy 
was  accomplished  more  than  twelve  centuries  since.  And,  if  any 
one  replies,  that  it  is  impossible  that  a  church  that  honors  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ, — that  sends  missionaries  throughout  the 
world,  be  an  apostate,  an  antichristian  church,  I  answer,  that 
Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light, — that  it  is  not 
Christianity  but  popery,  whose  power  they  endeavor  to  strengthen 
and  extend, — that  Christianity,  as  taught  by  the  apostles,  does  not 

16* 


186  COMMENTARY. 

consist  in  the  name  of  Christ  only,  and  in  a  formal  worship  to 
Grod ;  but  in  the  living  principles  of  a  new  life,  in  holiness,  in 
brotherly  love,  and  in  the  glory  of  the  Grod  of  heaven,  our  Creator 
and  Redeemer.  He  it  is  who  is  the  judge  of  his  law,  of  our  faith- 
fulness, and  of  our  transgressions ;  and  he  has  given  us  so  clear  a 
description  of  the  man  of  sin,  of  the  apostacy  of  this  church,  that, 
should  our  temporal  interests  be  concerned,  in  the  escape  of  a 
man,  so  perfectly  described,  he  could  not  pass  through  any  city  or 
village,  without  being  apprehended  at  his  first  appearance.  Here 
are  the  principal  characters  and  features  of  this  great  Antichrist, 
according  to  the  description  of  the  prophets  themselves.  Let 
every  one  judge  for  himself. 


Description  of  Antichrist^  or  the  Man  of  Sin. 

1.  He  is  represented  as  a  little  horn  (little  king),  rising,  after 
ten  other  horns  (kings),  out  of  the  terrible  beast,  by  which  the 
prophet  Daniel  has  described  the  fourth  monarchy,  that  is,  the 
Roman  Empire,  which  existed  1230  years,  to  476,  when  it  was 
utterly  destroyed  by  ten  barbarian  people,  namely,  the  Huns, 
Alains,  Goths,  Franks,  Saxons,  Suevi,  Vandals,  Bourguignons, 
Heruli,  and  the  Lombards;  three  of  whom,  namely,  the  Heruli, 
Visigoths,  and  the  Lombards,  or  Odoacer,  Theodoric,  and  Alboin, 
were  subdued  by  the  little  horn  (Dan.  7  :  7-27). 

2.  In  the  little  horn  were  eyes  like  the  eyes  of  a  man,  and  a 
mouth  (religion)  speaking  great  things  (verse  8),  showing  his 
earthly-mindedness  in  opposition  to  the  arrogant  pretensions  of 
being  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  having  power,  on  earth  and  in 
heaven,  to  save  or  to  damn. 

3.  He  shall  speak  great  words  against  the  Most  High,  and  shall 
wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  think  to  change  times 
and  laws  (verse  25) ;  that  is,  though,  according  to  the  decrees  of 
the  Most  High,  the  Jewish  Church,  her  priesthood,  and  sacrifices 
have  been  abolished  at  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  shall  claim 
the  prerogatives  of  this  church,  of  her  priesthood,  and  the  sacrifice 
of  the  bread  and  wine,  as  he  says,  according  to  the  order  of  Mel- 
chi.sudec.  He  shall  also  change  the  law  of  God,  the  mediatorial 
worship,  the  conditions  of  salvation,  and  shall  add  his  commands 
to  the  commandments  of  God. 

4.  He  shall  be  diverse  from  the  other  kings ;  and,  though  he  be 
a  little  king,  his  look  shall  be  more  stout  than  his  fellows,  the  kings 
being  only  as  his  vassals ;  verse  20, 24. 


COMMENTARY.  187 

5.  His  union  with  tlie  kings  is  described  by  the  same  prophet 
(2  :  31-45),  as  the  miry  clay,  mixed  with  the  iron  of  the  feet  and 
toes  of  the  great  image,  representing  the  ten  kings,  which  shall 
arise  out  of  the  fourth  monarchy;  and,  by  St.  John  (17  :  13,  14), 
as  having  one  mind  to  make  war  with  the  Lamb,  and  to  destroy  the 
saints  of  the  Lord. 

6.  When  St.  Paul  was  writing  to  the  Thessalonians,  he  said 
unto  them  that  the  mystery  of  iniquity  did  already  work, — that 
they  knew  what  withheld  that  Wicked,  that  he  should  be  revealed 
in  his  time,  and  that  after  the  destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
which  was  to  be  taken  out  of  the  way,  he  would  be  revealed,  and 
come  after  the  working  of  Satan  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and 
lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in 
them  that  perish ;  because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth, 
that  they  might  be  saved  (2  Th.  2  :  3-12). 

7.  The  mystery  of  iniquity  was  accomplished  by  a  faction,  in  the 
Church,  called  by  the  prophet  "  Nicolaitanes''  (domiuators  of  the 
people,  2  :  6,  1 5) ;  and  it  shall  be  destroyed  by  the  Church  of  the 
"  Laodiceans"  (judgment  of  the  people),  whose  meaning  is  con- 
trary to  that  of  "  Nicolaitanes"  (3  :  14).  It  is  by  a  spiritual  death, 
by  the  martyrdom  of  a  bishop,  killed  by  the  devil,  in  the  city  where 
Satan's  seat  is,  that  this  mystery  of  iniquity  was  accomplished ;  and 
the  nature  of  his  apostacy  is  specified  by  the  name  of  "  Antipas'^ 
(against  all,  2  :  13). 

8.  The  man  of  sin  holds  the  doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught 
Balac  to  cast  a  stumbling  block,  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat 
things  sacrificed  unto  idols,  and  to  commit  fornication ;  therefore, 
he  is  called,  as  the  chief  of  a  Church,  "  woman  Jezebel,''  the  wife 
of  Ahab,  calling  herself  a  prophetess,  that  is,  infallible  (2  :  14,  20). 

9.  The  man  of  sin,  as  a  star  fallen  from  heaven  (a  bishop  fallen 
from  Christianity),  received  the  key  of  or  power  over  the  bottomless 
pit  of  the  destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire  (9:1);  and,  having 
opened  it,  the  deadly  wound  of  the  beast  was  healed  :  and  all  the 
world  wondered  after  the  beast,  to  which  the  mouth  of  the  little 
horn,  speaking  great  things  and  blasphemies,  was  given,  with  the 
power  to  continue  1260  years,  and  to  make  war  with  the  saints. 
(13  : 1-7). 

10.  Besides  this  first  beast,  representing  the  ten  kings  out  of  the 
first  beast,  there  is  a  second,  the  little  horn,  rising  after  the  first. 
This  one  comes  up  out  of  the  earth  (ambition,  forgetfulness  of 
Christianity),  and  he  had  two  powers,  a  spiritual,  and  a  temporal 
power,  like  Jesus  Christ;  but  he  spake  as  a  dragon  (Satan).  He 
exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  kings,  and  causeth  all  the  earth 
to  submit  to  his  empire,  which  was  the  image  of  the  Roman  Em- 


IBS'  CO  MOMENTARY. 

pire,  which  had  been  destroyed.  He  had  power  not  only  to  speak, 
to  teach  his  rehgion ;  but  also  to  slaughter  every  one,  who  would 
not  obey  his  power.  The  name  of  this  beast  or  empire  is  :  "  The 
Latin  Empire"  (13  :  11-18). 

11.  The  city,  in  which  he  lives,  is  that  great  city,  which  reigneth 
over  the  kings  of  the  earth, — which  is  built  upon  seven  mountains, 
and  he  is  the  eighth  king,  or  form  of  government  of  this  empire, 
having  inherited  of  the  seven.  He  is  clothed  in  purple  and  scarlet, 
as  the  Caesars,  on  the  throne  of  whom  he  sitteth;  and,  upon  the 
forehead  of  his  religion,  there  is  a  mysterious  inscription,  the 
hidden  meaning  of  which,  is,  '^  Babylon  the  Great,  the  mother  of 
harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth"  (17  :  1-18). 

12.  This  city  is  called  Sodom,  Egyjjt,  and  Babylon,  in  which  the 
blood  of  all  saints  and  prophets  shall  be  found,  and  even  the  souls 
of  men,  of  which  she  has  made  merchandise  (18  :  13).  Her  agents 
are  described  as  false  doctors,  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy,  forbidding 
to  marry,  and  commanding  to  abstain  from  meats  (1  Tim.  4  : 1-4  j 
2  Tim.  3  :  1-8).  Therefore,  an  angel  says  from  heaven  :  "  Come 
cut  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that 
ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues"  (18  :  4). 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 

A   LAMENTATION    OVER   THE    FALL    OF    THE    MYSTIC   BABYLON. 

The  prophet,  having  given  us  the  description  of  the  great  whore, 
resumes,  here,  and  in  the  following  chaj^ter,  the  matter  of  the 
seventh  vial  of  the  wrath  of  God.  And,  now,  that  we  have  been 
made  acquainted  with  this  great  whore,  which  boasts  to  be  "  the 
first,  and  the  mother  of  all  churches ;"  whilst,  in  the  judgment  of 
God,  the  mysterious  meaning  of  these  titles  which  she  assumes, 
should  be  :  <' Babylon  the  great,  the  mother  of  harlots  and  abomi- 
nations of  the  earth,' ^  a  powerful  angel  cries  mightily,  with  a  strong 
voice,  in  order  that  everyone  might  hear,  saying:  '' Babylon  the 
great  is  fallen,  is  fallen,  and  is  become  the  habitation  of  devils,  and 
the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  hate- 
ful bird  :"  and  he  invites  his  people — those  who  fear  and  love  God 
— to  come  out  of  her  (out  of  the  Roman  Church),  that  they  be  not 
partakers  of  her  sins,  and  receive  not  of  her  plagues. 

It  may  not  be  amiss,  to  say  some  words  about  the  overthrow  of 
the  great  Babylon  of  tlie  Chaldeans,  since  wo  have  to  examine  here 
the  destruction  of  her  daughter.  Home,  the  mystic  Babylon.     The 


COMMENTARY.  189 

decline,  desolation,  and  utter  ruin  of  that  opulent  city,  then  the 
mistress  of  the  world,  had  been  long  foretold  by  the  prophets. 
Isaiah  had  called  her  conqueror  Cyrus  by  his  name,  more  than  one 
hundred  years  before  his  birth,  and  he  had  explained  by  what 
means,  namely :  '^  By  the  drying  up  of  the  river,  and  by  the 
opening  before  him  of  the  two-leaved  gates  of  brass,  which  should 
not  be  shut"  (Is.  44  :  27 ;  45  :  1-7), — he  should  succeed  in  the 
taking  of  that  city,  crossed  and  surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the 
Euphrates  Eiver  (see  Jer.  50  and  51). 

Herodotus,  who  lived  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  pro- 
phet Isaiah,  says  that  the  walls  of  Babylon  were  three  hundred 
feet  high,  before  they  had  been  reduced  to  seventy-five  by  Darius 
Hystaspes, — that  they  were  seventy-five  feet  thick — that  her  temple 
of  Belus,  was  six  hundred  and  thirty  feet  high, — that  the  city  had 
one  hundred  gates  of  brass, — that  the  palace  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
was  eight  miles  in  circumference, — and  that  the  artificial  lake, 
thirty-five  feet  deep,  had  a  circumference  of  more  than  one  hundred 
miles.  Therefore,  when  Cyrus  and  his  army  surrounded  the  city 
with  trenches,  the  Babylonians,  were  quite  unconcerned  about  their 
works.  But  Cyrus  was  executing  the  secret  decrees  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  he  was  successful  in  his  undertaking.  There  was  but 
one  way  of  success,  namely :  to  dry  up  the  deep,  and  the  river,  as 
it  had  been  foretold  by  Isaiah,  and  by  Jeremiah  (51  :  36-43). 
The/efore,  Cyrus  ordered  his  soldiers  to  make  wide  and  deep 
trenches  around  the  city;  and,  the  work  being  advanced  enough, 
he  opened  his  trenches  to  the  river,  when  an  opportunity  was  given 
him,  by  the  security  with  which  the  inhabitants  abandoned  them- 
selves, in  a  feast  day,  to  the  excess  of  wine  and  debauchery.  The 
waters,  leaving  the  channel  of  the  river,  rushed  into  the  trenches ; 
and  so  the  river  being  dried  up,  the  soldiers  of  Cyrus,  following  its 
former  course,  arrived  to  the  centre  of  the  city,  which  was  buried 
in  the  slumber  of  debauchery,  and  they  invaded  the  palace  of  the 
king,  even  before  the  alarm  could  be  given. 

The  inhabitants,  having  revolted  some  time  after,  and  recovered 
their  independence,  Darius  subdued  them  again,  after  a  siege  of 
twenty  months.  Three  thousand  of  the  principal  inhabitants  were 
put  to  death ;  and  the  royal  residence  was  removed  to  Shusan. 
Her  sacred  treasures  were  seized  upon  by  Xerxes,  and  her  temples 
were  destroyed.  Alexander  wished  to  restore  her  her  ancient 
splendor ;  but  his  death  did  not  permit  him  to  carry  out  his  pur- 
pose. A  Parthian  conqueror  took  it,  130  years  before  Christ,  and 
he  destroyed  her  most  beautiful  wards.  The  inhabitants  retired 
then  to  Media,  and  to  Seleucia,  a  neighboring  city,  built  by  the 
Macedonians.     In  the  fourth  century,  she  became  a  hunting  park 


190  COMMENTARY. 

for  the  Persian  kino-s;  and  her  walls  having  fallen  down,  the  river 
had  no  longer  its  free  course,  and  the  current  took  another  setting. 
So,  the  progress  of  ages  has  annihilated  that  city  in  such  a  manner 
that  Babylon  is  become  a  wilderness,  in  which  her  true  position  can 
no  more  be  ascertained.  Such  were  the  decline  and  ruin  of  Baby- 
lon, the  powerful  city  of  the  Chaldeans;  now,  what  shall  be  the 
ruin  of  her  daughter,  the  mystic  Babylon  ? 

V.  1-3.  '•  And  after  tlsese  tilings  I  saw  another  angel  come  down  from 
heaven,  having  great  power  ;  and  the  earth  was  lightened  with  his  glory. 
And  he  cried  mightily  with  a  strong  voice,  saying,  Babylon  the  great  is  fallen, 
is  fallen,  and  is  become  the  habitation  of  devils,  and  the  hold  of  every  foul 
spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every  nnclean  and  hateful  bird.  For  all  nations  have 
drunk  of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication,  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  com- 
mitted fornication  with  her.  and  the  merchants  of  the  earth  are  waxed  rich 
through  the  abundance  of  her  delicacies." 

-  This  powerful  angel,  coming  down  from  heaven,  is  Jesus  Christ 
himself,  who  proclaims  the  condemnation  and  ruin  of  the  great 
whore.  The  words  twice  repeated  :  '^  Babylon  the  great  is  fallen, 
is  fallen,"  indicate  not  only  that  her  fall  is  certain  and  that  she 
shall  never  rise  up  from  her  ruin;  but  also  that  she  shall  fall 
twice ;  iSrst,  when  she  was  ransacked  by  the  barbarians;  and  secondly, 
when  she  shall  be  utterly  destroyed,  and  burned  with  fire 
(17  :  16).  She  is  cursed  even  in  her  ruin,  for  her  iniquities;  and 
she  is  condemned  to  be  a  species  of  hell,  inhabited  by  devils,  and 
the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every  unclean  and  hate- 
ful bird.  They  shall  be  there,  in  the  midst  of  her  ruins,  to  tell  to 
the  coming  generations  her  diabolical  ambition,  her  apostacy, 
impostures,  lies,  impurities,  murders,  and  all  the  crimes  which  she 
has  committed  under  the  mask  of  religion.  The  judgment,  by 
which  she  is  condemned  to  become  such  an  abominable  place, 
accursed  of  God,  is  just;  '^  for  all  nations  have  drunk  of  the  wine 
of  the  wrath  of  her  fornication."  They  have  worshipped  her  idols; 
and  the  kings  of  the  earth  have  committed  fornication  with  her,  in 
receiving  her  devilish  doctrines,  and  forcing  their  subjects  to  drink 
in  the  same  impure  cup,  full  of  the  abominations  and  filthiness  of 
her  fornication.  Her  traffic  of  holy  things,  and  even  of  ''  souls  of 
men"  (verse  13);  her  unbounded  pretensions,  and  her  tyranny  over 
the  consciencesof  men,  have  afforded  her  abundance  and  delicacies; 
her  splendor,  magnificence,  and  excess  in  everything,  have  made 
rich  the  merchants  of  the  earth,  who  traded  with  her,  and  for  the 
very  same  reason  supported  her  doctrines  and  tyranny.  This  is 
the  cause  for  which  she  is  condemned  to  become  the  habitation  of 
devils,  and  the  hold  of  every  foul  spirit,  and  a  cage  of  every 
unclean  and  hateful  bird. 


COMMENTARY.  191 

V.  4-8.  "And  I  heard  Knotljer  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  Come  out  of 
her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not 
of  her  plagues.  For  her  sins  have  reached  unto  heaven,  and  God  hath  re- 
membered her  iniquities.  Reward  her  even  as  she  rewarded  you,  and 
double  iHito  her  double  according  to  her  works:  in  the  cup  which  she  hath 
filled  fill  to  her  double.  How  much  she  hath  glorified  herself,  and  lived 
deliciously,  so  much  torment  and  sorrow  give  her  :  for  she  saith  in  her  heart, 
I  sit  a  queen,  and  am  no  widow,  and  shall  see  no  sorrow.  Therefore  shall 
her  plagues  come  in  one  day,  death,  and  mourning,  and  famine,  and  she 
shall  be  utterly  burned  with  fire :  for  strong  is  the  Lord  God  who  judgeth 
her," 

When  Jesus  Christ  foretold  the  ruin  of  Jerusalem,  he  admo- 
nished the  Jews,  who  listened  to  him,  to  flee  into  the  mountains 
as  soon  as  they  should  hear  of  wars.  Therefore,  his  disciples 
abandoned  Jerusalem,  and  fled  to  the  mountains,  when  they  heard 
of  the  approach  of  the  Roman  legions ;  and  so  they  escaped  from 
the  desolation,  which  caused  the  destruction  of  the  city,  and  that 
of  eleven  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  who  did  not  believe  in  the 
word  of  the  Lord.  The  just  Lot  and  his  family  were  also  warned 
to  get  out  of  Sodom,  lest  they  should  be  consumed  in  the  iniquity 
of  the  city;  in  the  same  manner,  a  voice  from  heaven,  invites  those 
who  love  Grod  and  fear  his  name,  "  to  come  out  of  Babylon,^'  to 
abandon  this  idolatrous  Church,  an  enemy  of  God  and  of  his  saints, 
whose  blood  she  shed  by  torrents',  lest  they  be  partakers  of  her  sins, 
and  receive  of  her  plagues.  For  those  who  will  follow  the  wicked, 
must  expect  to  be  overwhelmed  in  their  destruction,  as  accomplices 
of  their  crimes.  The  cup  of  her  iniquities  is  full;  ''for  her  sins 
have  reached  unto  heaven ;"  and  God  will  come  down  to  be  re- 
venged at  her  hand. 

Though  revenge  be  forbidden,  his  people  are  ordered  not  to  for- 
bear from  rewarding  her  as  she  rewarded  them,  and  to  double  unto 
her  double  according  to  her  works.  God  is  the  just  judge  of  the 
earth ;  and,  when  one  obeys  his  orders,  there  is  no  revenge.  She 
has  long  trampled  under  foot  his  people,  with  the  most  cruel 
tyranny ;  she  got  her  riches  by  her  devilish  practices,  and  she  made 
use  of  them  to  live  deliciously ;  she  glorified  herself,  and  said  in 
her  heart :  "  I  sit  a  queeix,  and  am  no  widow,  and  shall  see  no  sor- 
row;  therefore,  shall  her  plagues  come  in  one  day,  death,  and 
mourning,  and  famine  ;  and  she  shall  be  utterly  burnt  with  fire  ;  for 
strong  is  the  Lord  who  judgeth  her."  She  shall,  then,  be  visited, 
at  once,  with  three  scourges,  pestilence,  famine  and  wars,  to  punish 
her  tyranny,  luxury,  and  especially  her  pride  (Dan.  4:30;  Jer. 
50  :  29 ;  Ez.  16  :  49).  Therefore,  come  out  of  Babylon,  ye  who 
fear  the  Lord  and  his  judgments,  lest  ye  be  partakers  of  her 
tyranny  over  the  consciences  of  men,  of  her  haughtiness,  idleness, 


192  COMMENTARY. 

and  delicacies,  which  are  the  heinous  fruits  of  the  ignorance  and 
superstition  which  she  instils  into  the  minds  of  her  priestridden 
subjects  :  if  you  do  not  obey  the  command  of  the  Lord,  to  come  out 
of  her,  ye  shall  receive  of  her  plagues. 

V.  9,  10.  "And  the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  have  committed  fornication 
and  lived  deliciously  with  her,  shall  bewail  her,  and  lament  for  her,  when 
they  shall  see  the  smoke  of  her  burning,  standing  afar  otf  for  the  fear  of  her 
torment,  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that  great  city  Babylon,  that  mighty  city!  for  in 
one  hour  is  thy  judgment  come." 

When  the  day  of  calamity  is  come,  Babylon  is  alone  and  friend- 
less. True,  the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  have  committed  fornica- 
tion, and  lived  deliciously  with  her,  bewail  her,  and  lament  for  her, 
at  seeing  the  smoke  of  her  burning ;  but  they  stand  afar  off  for  the 
fear  of  her  torment.  In  their  distress  and  frenzy,  they  do  not 
understand  that  it  is  a  just  reward  of  her  crimes,  and  they  say : 
"  Alas,  alas  I''  or  rather  :  '^  Woe,  woe  V  for  that  is  the  signification 
of. the  Greek  "  ouai ;"  and  her  destruction  is  the  fulfilment  of  the 
third  "  woe,"  foretold  in  the  eighth  chapter.  Woe,  woe  after 
woes,  they  say  in  their  lamentations ;  How,  0  great  and  mighty 
Babylon,  is  thy  judgment  come  in  one  hour  !  (Ez.  28  :  16-23.) 
They  do  not  pity  her  in  her  calamity ;  but  they  tremble  for  them- 
selves, as  do  the  accomplices  of  the  same  crimes,  when  they  see  the 
companions  of  their  misdeeds  foil  under  the  sentence  of  their 
judges. 

V.  11-19.  "  And  the  merchants  of  the  earth  shall  weep  and  mourn  over 
her ;  for  no  man  buyeth  their  merchandise  any  more.  The  merchandise  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  precious  stones,  and  of  pearls,  and  fine  linen,  and  pur- 
ple, and  silk,  and  scarlet,  and  all  thyine  wood,  and  all  manner  vessels  of 
ivory,  and  all  manner  vessels  of  most  precious  wood,  and  of  brass,  and  iron, 
and  marble,  and  cinnamon,  and  odors,  and  ointments,  and  frankincense, 
and  wine,  and  oil,  and  fine  flour,  and  wheat,  and  beasts,  and  sheep,  and 
liorses,  and  chariots,  and  slaves,  and  soids  of  men.  And  the  fruits  that  thy 
soul  lusted  after  are  departed  from  thee  ;  and  all  things  which  were  dainty 
and  goodly  are  departed  from  thee,  and  thou  shall  find  them  no  more  at 
all." 

"  The  merchants  of  these  things,  which  were  made  rich  by  her,  shall  stand 
afar  otf  for  the  fear  of  her  torment,  weeping  and  wailing,  and  saying,  Alas, 
alas,  that  great  city,  that  was  clothed  in  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and  scarlet, 
and  decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  pearls  !  For  in  one  hour  so 
great  riches  is  come  to  nought.  And  every  shipmaster,  and  all  the  company 
in  ships,  and  sailors,  and  as  many  as  trade  by  sea,  stood  alar  off,  and  cried 
when  they  saw  the  smoke  of  her  burning,  saying.  What  city  is  like  unto  this 
great  city !  And  they  cast  dust  on  their  heads,  and  cried,  weeping  and 
wailing,  saying,  Alas,  alas,  that  great  city,  wherein  were  made  rich  all  that 
had  ships  in  the  sea  by  reason  of  her  costliness !  for  in  one  hour  is  she  made 
desolate." 


COMMENTARY.  193 

The  merchants  of  the  earth,  vrho  traded  ^nth.  the  mystic 
Babylon,  shall  weep  also  and  niourn  over  her  destruction,  because 
no  man  buyeth  their  merchandise  any  more.  Among  the  goods, 
spoken  of  in  this  kind  of  inventory,  some  refer  to  the  magnificence 
of  the  bishops',  cardinals',  and  pope's  vestments,  as  precious  stones, 
pearls,  fine  linen,  purple,  silk  and  scarlet.  Some  are  for  the  shrines 
of  relics,  and  for  the  images  of  the  saints,  as  thyine  wood,  ivory, 
precious  wood,  brass,  iron,  and  marble.  Some  others,  for  her  mate- 
rial worship,  borrowed  from  the  heathens,  as  cinnamon,  odors, 
ointments,  frankincense,  wine,  oil,  and  fine  flour — and  the  others 
are,  either  to  indulge  in  idleness,  pride,  and  delicacies,  as  beasts, 
sheep,  horses,  and  chariots,  or  to  gratify  cupidity  and  tyranny,  as 
slaves  ''and  souls  of  men  :"  which  points  to  the  infamous  traffic  of 
indulgences,  dispensations,  absolutions,  masses,  and  to  all  the  means 
invented  to  satisfy  the  ambition  of  her  supporters,  as  the  annats, 
benefices,  reserves,  &c.,  &c.  But  it  is  done  !  All  these  things  which 
were  dainty  and  goodly,  which  their  soul  lusted  after,  are  departed 
from  them,  and  they  shall  find  them  no  more. 

The  merchants  of  these  things  stand  also  afar  oil  for  fear  of  her 
torment,  and  weeping  and  wailing,  they  say,  "  Alas,  alas  !"  how 
that  great  city,  that  was  clothed  in  fine  linen,  and  purple,  and 
scarlet,  and  decked  with  gold,  and  precious  stones,  and  pearls, — 
hoWj  so  great  riches  are  come  to  nought  in  one  hour  !  (Is.  56  :  9-12 ; 
Matt.  21  :  12,  13.)  The  shipmaster  also  and  the  sailors  shall 
stand  afar  off;  and,  seeing  the  smoke  of  her  burning,  shall  say, 
''  What  city  is  like  unto  this  great  city  ?"  They  shall  cast  dust 
on  their  heads,  and  cry  "  Alas,  alas  !  that  great  city,  wherein  were 
made  rich  all  that  had  ships  in  the  sea  by  reason  of  her  costli- 
ness,"— how  is  she  made  desolate  in  one  hour  !  (Is.  34  :  9-15.) 

The  friends  of  the  mystic  Babylon  are,  as  we  have  just  seen, 
the  kings  of  the  earth,  who  enforced  her  tyranny  upon  the  con- 
sciences of  their  people,  and  the  merchants,  who  were  made  rich 
by  her  luxur^^,  opulence,  and  by  her  material  worship.  They 
lament  over  her  ruin;  but  they  stand  afar  off  in  the  time  of  her 
distress,  and  they  weep  and  wail  only,  because  they  were  partakers 
of  her  infamous  delicacies,  and  because  no  man  shall  buy  any  more 
their  merchandise.  There  is  no  cry  of  distress  for  their  sins. 
They  know  not  Grod ;  they  repent  neither  of  their  tyranny,  nor  of 
their  murders,  nor  of  their  sinful  trade  :  their  lamentation  is  that 
of  the  wicked  in  the  day  of  calamity ;  but  there  is  no  godly  sorrow 
to  calm  and  refresh  the  soul ;  for  it  is  too  late  to  repent :  the 
Bridegroom  is  come,  and  the  door  is  shut. 

V.  20.  "  Rejoice  over  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apostles  and  prophets; 
for  God  liath  avensed  you  on  her." 

17 


194  COMMENTARY. 

While  the  companions  of  the  mystic  Babylon  lament  over  her 
ruin,  the  heaven,  that  is,  the  inhabitants  of  the  empire  freed  from 
the  papal  yoke,  the  Christians,  and  the  holy  apostles  and  prophets 
are  invited  to  rejoice  over  her  calamity;  because  this  destruction 
is  a  judgment  of  God,  over  that  idolatrous  and  persecuting  city,  to 
avenge  the  blood  of  his  martyrs,  and  to  prepare  the  way  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  apostles  themselves,  whom  she 
honored  with  a  special  worship,  are  invited  to  rejoice  over  her 
destruction,  to  avenge  themselves  for  having  been  disgraced  by 
her  worship,  and  by  the  abuse  she  made  of  their  names  and  cha- 
racters to  maintain  her  pretensions.  It  was  upon  the  name  of 
Peter  that  she  built  up  the  foundation  of  her  sway  and  tyranny ; 
— it  was  by  selling  the  supposed  relics  of  the  saints  and  apostles 
that  she  got  a  part  of  her  riches; — it  was  by  the  abuse  she  made 
of  their  words,  and  by  placing  the  cities  and  villages,  the  woods 
and  the  rivers,  and  the  cattle,  under  the  patronage  of  the  saints 
and  apostles,  and  under  that  of  fanatic  and  bloody  men,  as  her 
St.  Dominic,  the  murderer,  that  she  claimed  the  power  to  canonize 
the  supporters  of  her  tyranny  and  superstition,  and  led  thus  astray 
to  idols  the  servants  of  Grod,  and  dishonored  consequently  the 
saints,  the  apostles,  and  prophets,  whom  she  debased  to  the  rank 
of  her  bloody  supporters  :  therefore,  all  must  rejoice  over  her  ruin. 

V.  21-24.  "And  a  mighty  angel  took  up  a  stone  like  a  great  millstone, 
and  cast  it  into  the  sea,  saying,  Thus  with  violence  shall  that  great  city 
Babylon  be  thrown  down,  and  shall  be  found  no  more  at  all.  And  the 
voice  of  harpers,  and  musicians,  and  of  pipers,  and  trumpeters,  shall  be 
heard  no  more  at  all  in  thee;  and  no  craftsman,  of  whatsoever  craft  he  be, 
shall  be  found  anymore  in  thee;  and  the  sound  of  a  millstone  shall  be 
heard  no  more  at  all  in  thee;  and  the  light  of  a  candle  shall  shine  no  more 
at  all  in  thee ;  and  the  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  of  the  bride  shall  be 
heard  no  more  at  all  in  thee:  for  thy  merchants  were  the  great  men  of  the 
earth  ;  for  by  thy  sorceries  were  all  nations  deceived.  And  in  her  was 
found  the  blood  of  prophets,  and  of  saints,  and  of  all  that  were  slain  upon 
the  earth." 

To  give  us  a  striking  image  of  the  violence  of  the  destruction 
of  the  great  Babylon,  a  mighty  angel  took  up  a  stone  like  a  great 
millstone,  and  cast  it  into  the  sea,  saying :  ''  Thus  with  violence 
shall  that  great  city  Babylon  be  thrown  down,  and  shall  be  found 
no  more  at  all"  (Jer.  51  :  Gl-64).  Henceforth  she  shall  only  be 
inhabited  by  devils,  by  foul  spirits,  and  by  unclean  and  hateful 
birds.  Then  shall  there  be  neither  any  more  joy,  nor  feast-days, 
nor  rejoicings ',  the  voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  of  the  bride  shall 
be  heard  no  more;  the  light  of  a  candle  shall  shine  there  no  more: 
an  eternal   silence  and   darkness  shall  reign  there  forever.     For 


COMMENTARY.  195 

Babylon  has  deceived  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  by  her  sorceries, 
by  the  magic  power  of  her  words,  and  by  the  poisoning  of  her 
idolatry.  "  And  in  her  was  found  the  blood  of  prophets,  and 
saints,  and  of  all  that  were  slain  upon  the  earth/'  Satan,  that  old 
serpent,  which  deceiveth  the  whole  world,  and  is  the  accuser  and 
murderer  of  the  servants  of  God,  had  his  seat  there,  and  he  gave 
to  the  beast  his  power,  and  his  seat,  and  great  authority.  In  this 
manner,  papal  Rome  inherited  not  only  the  worldly  grandeur  of 
the  monarchies,  which  had  been  before ;  but  also  the  crimes  and 
murders,  which  had  been  committed  from  the  creation  of  the 
world ;  for  she  received  all  as  a  gift  by  the  will  of  Satan.  There- 
fore, the  papal  throne  stands  upon  the  corpses  of  the  millions  of 
victims  of  Satanic  rage,  and  upon  an  immense  sea  of  blood,  whose 
yoice  crieth  unto  Grod  for  revenge.  The  condemnation  of  the 
great  whore,  the  mother  of  harlots,  has  long  ago  been  decreed  in 
the  eternal  counsel  of  God  :  "  she  shall  no  longer  be  inhabited, 
save  by  devils  and  unclean  birds."  "  Her  time  is  near  to  come, 
and  her  days  shall  not  be  prolonged"  (Is.  13  :  17-22). 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  GREAT  BATTLE  OF  ARMAGEDDON  AT  THE  COMING  OF  THE 
LORD,  OR,  THE  MARRIAGE  SUPPER  OF  THE  LAMB. 

We  have  in  this  chapter,  the  great  event  called :  "  The  second 
coming  of  our  Lord," — "  The  vintage  of  the  wrath  of  God," — "The 
battle  of  that  great  day  of  God  Almighty,  at  Armageddon," — 
^'  And  the  end  of  the  world  ;"  because,  at  that  great  day,  the  papal 
powers,  priests,  bishops,  cardinals,  shall  flee  away,  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth  shall  be  found  no  more,  according  to  the  vision  of  the 
prophet,  saying:  "And  every  island  fled  away,  and  the  mountains 
were  not  found."  It  synchronizes,  then,  with  3  :  20-21 ;  14  :  18— 
20  ;  16  :  15-21  ;  and  it  is  for  that  event,  and  not  for  the  final 
judgment,  which  takes  place  after  the  Millennium,  that  we  are 
warned  by  our  Lord,  in  all  the  parables  concerning  his  coming,  to 
watch,  and  be  ready;  "for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour, 
wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh." 

A  close  investigation  of  the  prophecies,  concerning  the  coming 
of  our  Lord,  will  show  us  that  this  event  is  spoken  of,  not  to  warn 
the  generations  living  during  the  Millennium ;  but  those  who  live 


196  COMMENTARY. 

before,  and  say :  "  AVhere  is  the  promise  of  his  coming  ?  All  things 
continue  as  they  ^yere  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation."  In  the 
same  manner,  we  shall  find  that  the  judgment,  which  shall  take 
place  at  his  coming,  represents  the  judgment  of  the  great  whore 
(11  :  18  ;  19  :  2),  and  the  destruction  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world, 
when  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled  :  and  these  events 
are  called,  "the  end  of  the  world;"  for,  according  to  the  explana- 
tion of  the  parable  of  the  seed,  "  the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the 
world."  The  harvest  consists  in  gathering  ''out  of  his  kingdom 
all  things  that  offend,  and  them  that  do  iniquity," — and  afterwards 
"■  shall  the  righteous  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their 
Father."  Hence,  it  is  evident  that  the  end  of  the  world  represents 
the  destruction  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  to  set  up,  on  their 
ruins,  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord. 

Our  Lord,  having  foretold  the  destruction  of  the  temple  of  Jeru- 
salem, his  disciples  said  unto  him  :  "  Tell  us,  when  shall  these  things 
be  ?  and  what  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming,  and  of  the  end  of 
the  world  ?"  Jesus,  in  his  answer  to  these  three  questions,  gives 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  as  the  type  of  the  destruction  of  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world;  and  having  compared  his  coming  to  a 
lightning,  which  cometh  out  of  the  east  (indicating  that  these 
events  shall  originate  from  the  east),  he  represents  them  under 
this  emblematic  language  :  "  For  wheresoever  the  carcase  is  (sinners 
to  be  destroyed),  there  will  the  eagles  (Eoman  legions,  or  the  fowls 
that  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  19  :  17)  be  gathered  together. 
Immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those  days,  shall  the  sun  (kings 
or  emperors),  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  (popery)  shall  not  give 
her  light,  and  the  stars  (captains,  priests,  bishops,  and  popish  saints 
or  demigods),  shall  fall  from  heaven  (from  the  offices  which  they 
hold  in  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth),  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens 
(the  kingdoms)  shall  be  shaken  :  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign 
of  the  Son  of  man  in  heaven  (Christianity  shall  be  established  in  these 
kingdoms)  :  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they 
shall  see  the  Son  of  man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  (in  the 
revolutions  of  those  kingdoms,  Ez.  30  :  3),  with  power  and  great 
glory.  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  (gospel  ministers),  with  a  great 
sound  of  a  trumpet  (the  emblem  of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel),  and 
they  shall  gather  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end  of 
heaven  to  the  other.  But  as  the  days  of  Noe  were,  so  shall  also  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  man  be.  For  as  in  the  days  that  were  before 
the  flood,  they  were  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving  in  mar- 
riage, until  the  day  that  Noe  entered  into  the  ark,  and  knew  not 
until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away ;  so  shall  also  the  coming 
of  the  Son  of  man  be"  (Matt.  24  :  27-39  ;  Luke  21  :  25-3(3). 


C0  3IMENTARY.  197 

It  is  evident  from  this  passage,  that  the  coming  of  the  Lord, 
spoken  of  here,  has  no  reference  at  all  to  the  death  of  individuals, 
or  to  the  final  judgment;  but  to  the  destruction  of  the  kingdoms, 
which  are  under  the  papal  sway,  and  to  the  judgment  of  the  great 
whore,  and  of  her  supporters,  called  ''the  dead/'  which  are  to  be 
destroyed  (11  :  18),  as  it  may  be  still  proved  by  this  passage  of  St. 
Paul,  in  his  second  letter  to  the  Thessalonians  (2  :  1-8). 

The  Thessalonians  were  troubled  about  the  coming  of  our  Lord. 
The  Apostle  Paul  beseeches  them  not  to  be  troubled,  as  if  the  day 
of  Christ  were  at  hand,  "  For,"  he  says,  "that  day  shall  not  come, 
except  there  come  a  falling  away  first  (the  papal  apostacy),  and 
that  man  of  sin  be  revealed,  the  son  of  perdition.  "  And,  when  the 
Roman  Empire,  which  withholdeth  him,  that  he  should  be  revealed 
in  his  time  (Dan.  7  :  2-4,  that  is,  after  the  other  kings,  who  were 
to  destroy  this  empire),  shall  be  taken  away,  "  then  shall  that 
wicked  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord  shall  consume  with  the  spirit 
of  his  mouth,  and  shall  destroy  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming.'' 
The  destruction  of  Popery  is  clearly  connected  here  with  the  coming 
of  our  Lord,  who,  says  the  same  apostle,  "shall  be  revealed  from 
heaven  with  his  mighty  angels  in  flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on 
them  that  know  not  God,  and  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ"  (2  Th.  1  :  7-10).  But,  as  the  Lord  did  not  come 
personally  to  destroy  Jerusalem,  so  we  cannot  suppose  that  he  will 
come  personally,  either  to  destroy  his  enemies,  or  to  reign  among  his 
elect  during  the  Millennium  ;*  for  it  is  by  his  spiritual  power  that  his 

*  Nevertheless  it  may  be  said :  there  is  as  much  infidelity  in  spiritualizing 
too  much  the  promises  of  God,  as  in  opposing  them.  We  believe  that  God 
spoke  with  Adam, — that  he  appeared  to  Moses  in  the  bush,  and  spoke  with 
him  on  the  Mount  Sinai, — that  his  presence  was  manifested,  in  a  cloud,  in 
the  wilderness ;  what  reason  have  we  to  deny  his  personal  presence,  among 
his  people,  during  the  Millennium  1  Is  it  not  the  same  reason  which  the 
infidels  have  to  deny  the  teachings  of  the  heavenly  mysteries,  which  they 
have  neither  seen  nor  handled  ?  We  live  in  a  world  accursed  for  sin ;  our 
judgments  are  formed  according  to  the  ideas  which  are  suggested  to  our 
minds  by  the  state  of  things  which  is  before  our  eyes;  shall  we  deny  his 
appearing  the  second  time  v/ithout  sin  unto  salvation,  because  we  have  no 
idea  of  a  new  earth  renovated  by  the  power  of  God?  It  is  not  said,  that  he 
shall  appear  for  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  but  only  after  the  destruction 
of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  (Matt.  24  :  30),  to  set  up  Ins  kingdom.  Is  there 
any  reference  to  the  final  judgment  in  the  texts  which  foretell  his  coming  in 
Acts  1:11;  Matt.  26  :  64  ;  Luke  21  :  25-36  ;  Heb  9  :  28  ;  10  :  37  ;  Rev.  1:7; 
and  in  many  others?  The  destruction  of  ungodly  men  and  of  the  papal 
kingdoms  is  also  a  judgment  of  the  Lord  (11  :  IS);  therefore  we  believe 
in  his  personal  appearing  to  the  world,  though  we  cannot  sui>pose  that  he 
will  reign  personally,  as  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  dwell  continually  in  person 
among  his  people. 

17^- 


198  COMMENTARY. 

enemies  shall  be  destroyed ;  and,  it  is  said,  that  the  greatness  of 
the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High ;  and  so  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
shall  be  the  Lord's. 

The  coming  of  the  Lord  is  generally  supposed  to  take  place  at 
the  final  judgment;  because  the  judgment  of  the  dead,  and  the 
destruction  or  the  end  of  the  world,  are  spoken  of  as  taking  place 
at  the  same  time.  But  the  dead  spoken  of,  are  those  who  are  dead 
in  trespasses  and  in  sins  (Eph.  2:1),  and  the  end  of  the  world,  is 
the  end  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles,  and  the  destruction  of  the 
kingdoms  of  the  earth,  which  shall  be  the  Lord's.  It  is  the  same 
great  event,  and  not  the  destruction  of  this  universe,  or  of  the 
globe  which  we  inhabit,  which  is  described  by  the  xipostle  Peter  in 
his  picture  of  the  end  of  the  world.  For,  if  we  examine  carefully 
this  passage,  we  shall  see  that  he  is  alluding  to  the  answer  of  our 
Lord  to  the  questions  of  his  disciples,  concerning  the  destruction  of 
the  temple,  concerning  his  coming,  and  the  end  of  the  world ;  and, 
consec[uently,  that  he  describes  the  same  events ;  namely,  the  de- 
struction of  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth. 

St.  Peter  complains  first,  of  those  ''  Scoifers,  walking  after  their 
own  lusts,  and  saying:  Where  is  the  promise  of  his  coming?  For, 
since  the  fathers  fell  asleep,  all  things  continue  as  they  were  from 
the  beginning  of  the  creation.''  He  compares,  then,  the  destruc- 
tion, of  which  he  is  speaking,  to  that  which  took  place  in  the  days 
of  Noah,  as  we  have  seen  it,  in  the  answer  of  our  Lord  (Matt.  24  : 
37),  and  he  adds  :  "  But  the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a  thief 
in  the  night,  in  the  which  the  heavens  (kingdoms)  shall  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise  ;  and  the  elements  (not  of  this  universe,  but  of 
these  kingdoms),  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat  (the  emblem  of  wars 
and  military  despotism,  16  :  8-9),  the  earth  also  (worldly  religion), 
and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be  burned  up.  Seeing  then, 
that  all  these  things  shall  be  dissolved,  what  manner  of  persons 
ought  ye  to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness,  looking  for 
and  hasting  unto  the  coming  of  the  day  of  God,  wherein  the 
heavens  being  on  fire  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements  shall 
melt  with  fervent  heat?  Nevertheless,  we,  according  to  his  pro- 
mise, look  for  new  heavens,  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth 
righteousness"  (2  Pet.  3  :  4-13).  Now,  everything,  in  this  pas- 
sage, shows  that  he  is  alluding  to  the  answer  of  Jesus,  which  we 
have  just  examined;  and,  as  he  compares  the  destruction  of  which 
he  is  speaking,  to  that  which  took  sinners  unawares  in  the  days  of 
Noah,  we  arc  permitted  to  infer,  that,  in  his  comparison,  ho  speaks 
of  the  same  world — of  ungodly  men,  of  worldly  cities,  and  king- 
doms, whose  elements — not  of  this  globe — i4iall  be  destroyed  with 


0  0  31 M  "e  n  t  a  r  y.  199 

the  fervent  heat  of  the  fire  of  wars,  and  by  famine  and  pestilence. 
Therefore,  however  strong  may  be  the  language  made  use  of  by  St. 
Peter,  there  is  no  good  reason  to  maintain  the  general  opinion,  that 
he  is  speaking  of  the  destruction  of  the  globe,  which  we  inhabit, 
and  of  the  heavens,  where  is  the  throne  of  God ;  for  they  were 
declared  to  be  good  by  their  Almighty  Creator. 

V.  1-4.  "And  after  these  things  I  heard  a  great  voice  of  much  people  in 
heaven,  saying,  Allehiia  ;  salvation,  and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  unto 
the  Lord  our  God  :  for  true  and  righteous  are  his  judgments  :  for  he  hath 
judged_  the  great  whore,  which  did  corrupt  the  earth  with  her  fornication, 
and  hath  avenged  the  blood  of  his  servartts  at  her  hand.  And  again  they 
said,  Alleluia.  And  her  smoke  rose  up  forever  and  ever.  And  the  four  and 
twenty  elders  and  the  four  beasts  fell  down  and  worshipped  God  that  sat  on 
the  throne,  saying,  Amen  ;  Alleluia," 

The  prophet,  after  having  given,  in  the  sixteenth  chapter,  the 
emblems  of  the  seven  plagues,  by  which  the  papal  kingdoms  are  to 
be  destroyed,  described,  in  the  seventeenth,  the  characters  of  the 
great  whore,  which  had  corrupted  the  earth,  and  made  a  lamenta- 
tion over  her  utter  ruin,  in  the  eighteenth  chapter.  Now,  he  gives 
us  a  picture  of  the  songs  of  praise,  thanksgivings,  and  worship, 
which  were  heard  among  the  people  of  the  saints,  while  these  judg- 
ments of  God  were  executed.  These  vsongs  are  nearly  the  same  as 
those  of  the  Waldenses,  after  the  battles  of  Montenotte  and  Ma- 
rengo, at  the  pouring  out  of  the  third  vial  (16  :4-7);  but,  here, 
they  do  not  designate  any  special  event :  they  include  all  the  events, 
which  shall  consume  and  destroy  the  great  whore  unto  the  end :  for 
"her  smoke  rose  up  forever  and  ever."  Therefore,  the  four  and 
twenty  elders  and  the  four  beasts,  v/hich  are  the  representatives 
of  both  the  triumphant  and  militant  Church,  fall  down  to  wor- 
ship God,  that  sits  on  the  throne,  saying,  "  Amen  ;  Alleluia ;" 
that  is,  be  it  so,  and  praised  be  the  name  of  the  Lord,  who  has 
judged  the  great  whore. 

Y.  5-9.  "And  a  voice  came  out  of  the  throne,  saying.  Praise  our  God,  all 
ye  his  servants,  and  ye  that  fear  him,  both  small  and  great.  And  I  heard  as 
it  were  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and 
as  the  voice  of  mighty  thunderings,  saying,  Alleluia  :  for  the  Lord  God  omni- 
potent reigneth.  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him  :  for  the 
marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready.  And 
to  her  was  granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white  : 
for  the  white  linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
Write,  Blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb.     And  he  saith  unto  me,  These  are  the  true  sayings  of  God."' 

The  seven  last  plagues  of  the  wrath  of  God,  contained  in  the 
seventh  trumpet,  are  divided  into  the  harvest  and  into  the  vintage 


200  COMMENTARY. 

of  the  wrath  of  God  (14  :  14-20).  It  seems  that,  in  this  song  of 
the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  and  of  his  Church,  there  is  an  aUusion 
made  to  the  great  event  (the  French  Revolution  of  1792),  by  which 
the  harvest  was  begun  ;  for  it  consists  in  gathering  out  of  his  king- 
dom all  things  that  offend,  and  them  which  do  iniquity,  and  in 
gathering  the  wheat  into  the  barn  of  the  Lord.  Then,  the  kings, 
the  noblemen,  the  priests,  and  the  bishops,  were  gathered  out  of 
the  kingdom,  and  missionary  societies  were  established.  "  And  a 
voice  came  out  of  the  throne,  saying.  Praise  our  God,  all  ye  his 
servants,  and  ye  that  fear  him,  both  small  and  great;"  that  is,  the 
liberty  of  worship  was  granted  to  the  Church  of  God,  and  all  the 
servants  of  the  Lord  were  invited  to  praise  him,  in  his  temple. 
Such  a  liberty  could  not  be  granted  by  a  king  of  the  earth,  sitting 
on  his  throne  (15  :  8),  but  it  was  granted  by  the  National  Assembly 
of  France,  when  Louis  XVL  was  powerless ;  and  so  the  voice  came 
out  of  the  throne,  soon  after  the  Republic  was  proclaimed ;  and, 
then,  was  heard  "  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude  and  as 
the  voice  of  many  waters  (many  people,  17  :  1-15),  and  as  the  voice 
of  mighty  thunderings,  saying.  Alleluia  :  for  the  Lord  God  omni- 
potent reigneth.''  The  power  of  tyrants  is  now  at  an  end;  there  is 
no  longer  any  hindrance  to  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him  :  for  the  mar- 
riage of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready. 

There  is  no  description  of  the  events  alluded  to,  because  they 
have  been  described  under  the  emblems  of  the  seven  vials,  and 
because  every  one  knows  that  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  great 
whore,  are  the  subject  of  this  song  of  the  people  of  God.  And,  as 
for  the  persecutions,  either  pagan  or  papal,  there  is  but  the  last 
and  most  cruel,  which  is  spoken  of,  namely,  the  Diocletian  Perse- 
cution, for  the  heathens;  and  that  of  Louis  XIY.,  for  the  papists; 
so,  in  this  song  of  the  servants  of  God,  there  is  but  the  principal 
event,  which  is  alluded  to ;  because  all  these  plagues,  all  the 
struggles  and  revolutions,  were  made  to  destroy  tyranny  and  to 
proclaim  liberty,  or  to  set  up  the  kingdom  of  God. 

"And  to  her  was  granted  that  she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen, 
clean  and  white."  In  all  these  struggles  and  revolutions  made  to 
break  the  chains  of  the  tyrants,  the  Church  of  God,  so  long  trodden 
under  foot,  as  an  orphan  without  a  protector,  and  as  a  heretic  and 
schismatic  Church,  was  delivered  from  her  bondage,  and  she  en- 
joyed liberty  of  worship  without  any  restraint.  Whilst  the  popish 
agents,  and  tlie  Pope  himself,  were  obliged  to  disguise  themselves 
I'or  fear  of  destruction,  "  it  was  granted  to  the  bride"  (the  Protes- 
tant Church)  "to  be  arrayed,"  as  the  high  priests  of  the  Jews,  "in 
fine  linen,  clean  and  white,"  to  serve  the  Lord  freely  in  his  temple: 


C0M3IENTARY.  201 

and  this  liberty  of  worshipping  him  freely  and  without  fear,  is  a 
proof  that  the  Protestant  Church  is  not  only  rigliteous  before  God, 
but  also  before  the  people,  proclaiming,  by  this  very  deed,  that  she 
has  always  been  faithful  to  her  mission,  and  to  the  liberty  and 
happiness  of  nations  :  ''for  the  fine  linen  is  the  righteousness  of 
saints." 

"  And  he  saitb  unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are  they  which  are 
called  unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  saith  unto 
me.  These  are  the  true  sayings  of  God."  These  words  indicate 
clearly  the  reaction,  which  followed  soon  after  these  shakings  of 
the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  in  all  the  struggles  of  the  people  for 
liberty.  For  it  is  in  tbe  same  language  that  God  laughs  at  the 
vain  attempt  of  Louis  XIV.  to  destroy  Protestantism  (14  :  13). 
^' Write,"  he  says  to  the  prophet,  "Blessed  are  the  dead  (dead  in 
trespasses  and  in  sins)  which  die  in  the  Lord  (turn  to  the  Lord) 
from  henceforth  :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from 
their  labors ;"  that  is,  "■  Blessed  are  the  papists  who  shall  turn 
Protestants,  for  henceforth  they  shall  rest  from  their  persecutions  : 
your  attempt  is  vain,  and  they  shall  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  works. ^' 
In  the  same  manner,  the  prophet  receives  here  the  order  to  defy 
the  tyrants  who  attempt  again  and  again  to  keep  in  fetters  the 
liberty  of  his  people ;  and  the  angel  says  unto  him,  "  Write, 
Blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lafnb  ;"  that  is,  do  not  mind  their  attempts  to  destroy  liberty  : 
they  shall  not  succeed ;  victory  is  yours,  Bepublicans,  and  the  last 
hour  of  the  tyrants  is  ready  to  strike  :  "  these  are  the  true  sayings 
of  God."  We  shall  see,  verse  17-21,  the  description  of  those 
who  shall  be  called  unto  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb,  whose 
weddings  are  called  "  a  Supper,"  because  he  will  come  as  a  thief 
in  the  night.     (Compare  with  the  Church  in  Laodicea,  3  :  14-22.) 

Scott  supposes  that  it  is  spoken,  in  this  passage,  of  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Jews  ;  because  the  Hebrew  word  "  Hallehdah"  is  re- 
peated several  times  in  this  song  of  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  and 
of  the  Church,  his  wife.  But  we  cannot  draw  such  conclusions 
from  a  word,  which  has  passed  into  every  language.  "  None  of 
those  men  (the  Jews)  which  were  bidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper;" 
for  "  blindness  in  part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fulness  of 
the  gentiles  be  come  in"  (Luke  14  :  24 ;  Eom.  11  :  25).  There- 
fore, the  Jews  shall  come  only  after  the  heathens  and  Mahometans ; 
for  ''the  first  shall  be  the  last."  The  wife,  which  has  made  herself 
ready,  in  serving  God  and  men,  and  to  which  it  was  granted  that 
she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white,  being  clean 
from  any  participation  with  the  sins  of  the  oppressors  of  the  nations, 
is  the  Church  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  ser- 


202  COMMENTARY. 

vants  of  God,  sealed  in  their  foreheads  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  keep 
the  flambeau  of  the  gospel,  during  the  Middle  Age,  and  to  hand  it 
to  the  future  generations — the  wife  of  the  Lamb  is  that  great  mul- 
titude, which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds, 
and  people,  and  tongues, — who  after  the  Reformation,  listened  to 
the  call  of  the  gospel,  and  washed  their  robes  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  were  made  one  of  the  towers  of  the  wall  of  the  city,  as 
we  shall  see  it,  in  the  allegorical  description  of  the  true  Church  of 
God  (21  :  10-27). 

V.  10.  "  And  I  fell  at  his  feet  to  worship  him.  And  he  said  unto  me,  See 
thou  do  it  not:  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of  thy  brethren  that  have  the 
testimony  of  Jesus :  worship  God :  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.-' 

The  prophet,  at  seeing  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  great 
whore,  and  upon  the  kings  who  had  committed  fornication  with 
her,  and  the  glory  of  the  bride,  arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and 
white, — the  emblem,  not  only  of  the  righteousness  of  the  Lamb, 
her  bridegroom,  which  is  imputed  to  her ;  but  also,  of  her  faith- 
fulness and  of  the  good  report  which  she  enjoyed  before  the  papal 
nations, — was  so  amazed  that  he  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  angel,  to 
worship  him.  But  the  angel  rebuked  him,  saying,  "  See  thou  do 
it  not,"  as  Paul  rebuked  the  inhabitants  of  Lystra,  who  wished  to 
offer  him  and  his  companion  a  sacrifice.  ^'  See  thou  do  it  not :  I 
am  thy  fellow-servant :"  I  am  not  of  a  different  condition  than 
thine  own;  this  honor  is  due  to  God  alone.  Though  I  am  of  a 
difi"erent  nature,  I  am,  as  thou  and  the  prophets,  thy  brethren, 
nothing  else  than  a  messenger  commissioned  to  bear  witness  to 
Jesus.  Therefore,  we  are  all  brethren  and  fellow-servants  with 
the  prophets,  who  are  sent  to  bear  witness  to  him ;  for  he  it  is  who 
is  the  object  and  the  end  of  all  prophecies.  And  tliose  who  con- 
fess and  believe  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  men, 
are  animated  by  the  same  Spirit,  and  are,  consequently,  fellow- 
servants,  worshipping  and  serving  the  same  God.  For  to  have 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  to  have  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  (See 
22  :  8,  9.) 

V.  11-16.  "And  I  saw  heaven  opened,  and  behold  a  white  horse;  and  he 
that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful  and  True,  and  in  righteousness  he 
doth  judge  and  make  war.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  and  on  his 
head  were  many  crowns;  and  he  had  a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew, 
but  he  liimself  And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped  in  blood:  and 
his  name  is  called  The  Word  of  God.  And  the  armies  ivliirh  were  in  heaven 
followed  liim  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean. 
And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he  should  smite  the 
nations:  and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron:  and  he  trcadeth  the 


COMMENTARY.  203 

winepress  of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Ahnighty  God.     And  he  hath  on 
his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh  a  name  written,  King  or  kings,  and  Lord  of 

LORDS." 

The  promoters  of  civil  and  religious  tyranny,  represented  under 
the  emblem  of  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  (16  :  13-16),  have 
at  last  succeeded  in  gathering  the  kings  of  the  earth  to  the  battle 
of  that  great  day  of  Grod  Almighty.  The  principal  object  of  their 
infernal  league  is  to  give  the  finishing  blow  to  the  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberties.  They  have  long  cherished  their  black  plot,  and 
they  think  that  its  success  is  certain.  They  do  not  suspect  that 
millions  of  voices  have  already  sung  songs  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving to  the  Lord,  for  his  judgments  upon  the  enemies  of  his 
people ; — that  the  bride  of  the  Lamb  has  put  on  her  beautiful 
garments,  to  take  possession  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth, — and 
that  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb  is  at  hand ;  for,  though 
many  struggles  and  overturnings  of  kingdoms  have  been  unable 
to  destroy  tyranny  and  enjoy  liberty,  the  angel  of  the  Lord  ordered 
the  prophet  to  write,  that  "  Blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto 
the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb ;"  for  they  shall  overcome,  and 
shall  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

We  have,  in  this  passage,  the  description  of  the  titles,  dignity, 
armor,  and  vesture  of  the  great  Captain  of  the  armies,  which  shall 
fight  under  his  invisible  command,  at  the  battle  of  Armageddon, 
called  the  vintage  of  the  wrath  of  God.  He  is  the  same  warrior, 
whom  we  saw,  at  the  opening  of  the  first  seal  (6  :  2),  sitting  on  a 
white  horse,  and  going  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer.  His 
invisible  arm  has  inflicted  many  plagues  upon  the  Roman  Empire, 
either  pagan  or  papal,  for  the  idolatry  and  persecutions,  which 
were  supported  by  its  rulers;  and,  now,  he  appears,  at  the  head  of 
his  armies,  upon  the  same  white  horse  (as  an  emblem  of  the  holi- 
ness of  his  cause),  to  give  the  finishing  blow  to  his  enemies,  and 
to  give  the  kingdom  to  his  people.  As  he  had  promised  his 
people  to  come  to  deliver  them  from  their  enemies,  and  to  give 
them  the  kingdom,  he  is  called  the  "  Faithful  and  True,  and  in 
righteousness  he  doth  judge  and  make  war.'' 

"  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,"  showing  his  indignation  at 
the  sight  of  the  oppressors  of  his  Church ;  "  and  on  his  head  were 
many  crowns,"  the  emblems  of  the  triumph  of  his  Church  over  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  whose  kingdoms  are  to  be  given  to  the  people 
of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  whose  kingdom  is  an  everlasting 
kingdom,  and  all  dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him  (Dan. 
7  :  27).  "  And  he  had  a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew,  but 
he  himself."    This  name  cannot  be  "the  Word  of  God,"  which  was 


204  COMMENTARY. 

made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us;  for  we  know  that  he  is  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  Nor  can  it  be 
any  of  his  divine  perfections,  as  the  eternal  Jehovah,  which  are 
known  to  his  servants, — and  he  himself  only  knew  this  name  written. 
Therefore,  this  name  ought  to  be  the  name  of  ''the  angel  standing 
in  the  sun"  (verse  17),  who  shall  be,  in  his  hands,  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  destruction  of  his  enemies.  For  the  description  of 
the  armies,  which  follow  the  Lord  of  hosts,  upon  white  horses, 
clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean,  does  not  represent  the  very 
armies  which  shall  fight  the  battle  of  the  Lord ;  but  it  shows  only 
what  shall  be  the  true  character  of  these  armies.  It  indicates,  that 
the  invisible  Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  on  their  side, — that  the  war 
shall  be  holy,  and  its  success  certain, — that  those,  who  shall  be 
engaged  in  that  war,  shall  not  be,  as  in  former  and  unsuccessful 
attempts,  treated  as  rebels  and  promoters  of  anarchy;  but  they 
shall  be  crowned  with  glory,  for  having  fought  the  battles  of  the 
Lord,  "  they  shall  be  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean ;"  their 
cause  shall  be  crowned  with  glory. 

"And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipped  in  blood;  and  his 
name  is  called  The  Word  of  God.''  This  is  the  name, — not  the 
name  written,  that  no  man  knew  but  he  himself, — but  the  name 
of  the  great  Captain  of  the  armies  of  God.  His  vesture  has  been 
dipped  in  the  blood  of  the  cross;  but  this  blood  by  which  his 
vesture  is  stained,  is  that  of  his  eneriiies,  whom  he  has  trodden 
alone  in  the  wine-press  of  his  anger  (Is.  G3  :  1-G ;  IM  :  1-17);  or, 
rather,  it  is  the  emblem  of  the  blood,  which  shall  be  shed  by  the 
armies,  which  shall  be  instrumental  to  the  destruction  of  the 
papal  league,  and  which  shall  fight  under  his  invisible  command 
and  protection.  "And  the  armies  which  were  in  heaven  followed 
him  upon  white  horses,  clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.'' 
These  armies  followed  the  Lord;  therefore,  the  war  is  holy,  and 
its  success  is  certain,  as  it  is  indicated  by  "  the  fine  linen,  white 
and  clean ;"  they  shall  not  be,  for  this  time,  condemned  to  death 
or  to  exile,  as  rebels  and  enemies  of  their  country;  the  kings  of 
the  earth  shall  be  taken  and  the  false  prophet  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  cast  alive  into  a  lake  of  fire,  burning  with  brimstone. 
Nevertheless,  if  the  fine  linen,  white  and  clean,  is  not  for  them 
who  shall  be  called,  the  mantle  of  righteousness,  and  the  wedding 
garment,  they  shall  be  treated  as  the  enemies  of  the  Lord,  and 
taken  away,  and  cast  with  them,  into  outer  darkness  (Matt. 
22  :  11-14),  though  they  shall  have  been  engaged  in  a  just  and 
holy  cause,  which  shall  be  approved  before  God  and  men,  as  the 
battles  which  the  Americans  ibught  for  their  independence. 

"  And  out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that  with  it  he 


COMMENTARY.  205 

should  smite  the  nations  (papists);  and  he  shall  rule  them  with  a 
rod  of  iron,"  The  Lord  has  only  to  speak,  and  his  enemies  shall 
be  no  more.  His  word  is  a  two-edged  sword :  if  it  does  not  give 
life,  it  causes  death.  His  word  has  long  been  despised,  pro- 
scribed, and  burnt,  and  reckoned  amongst  dangerous  books ;  his 
servants,  who  found  their  delight,  and  life,  and  immortality  in 
this  word,  have  been  cast  into  dark  dungeons,  and  ruined,  and 
burnt  at  the  stake  for  the  reading  of  it.  Now  is  the  day  of  ven- 
geance ;  and  this  gracious  word  is  become  a  sharp  sword  and  a  rod 
of  iron,  with  which  the  nations  are  smitten  and  destroyed.  "  For 
if  they  escaped  not  who  refused  him  that  spake  on  earth,  much 
more  shall  not  we  escape,  if  we  turn  away  from  him  that  speaketh 
from  heaven,  whose  voice  shakes  not  the  earth  only,  but  also 
heaven'*  (Heb.  12  :  25).  Therefore,  he  treadeth  them  '^  in  the 
winepress  of  the  fierceness  and  wrath  of  Almighty  God"  (compare 
with  14  :  18-20  and  16  :  19).  For,  0  kings  of  the  earth,  be 
instructed,  and  know  what  is  the  power  of  him  against  whom  you 
have  united  together  to  make  war !  He  has,  like  the  ancient  con- 
querors, the  titles  of  his  power  written  on  his  thigh ;  and  they  are, 
"  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords."  Though  he  be  alone,  he 
will  tread  you  in  his  anger,  and  trample  you  in  his  fury;  your 
blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  his  garments ;  for  the  day  of  ven- 
geance is  in  his  heart,  and  the  year  of  his  redeemed  is  come  (Is. 
63 ':  2-7). 

V.  17-21,  "  And  I  saw  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun ;  and  he  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying  to  all  the  fowls  that  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  Come  and 
gather  yourselves  together  unto  the  supper  of  the  great  God;  that  ye  may  eat 
the  flesh  of  kings,  and  the  flesh  of  captains,  and  the  flesh  of  mighty  men, 
and  the  flesh  of  horses,  and  of  them  that  sit  on  them,  and  the  flesh  of  all  men, 
both  free  and  bond,  both  small  and  great. 

"  And  I  saw  the  beast,  and  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  their  armies, 
^lathered  together  to  make  war  against  him  that  sat  on  the  horse,  and  against 
his  army,  Atjd  the  beast  was  taken,  and  with  him  the  false  prophet  that 
wrought  miracles  before  him,  with  which  he  deceived  them  that  had  re- 
ceived the  mark  of  the  beast,  and  them  that  worshipped  his  image.  These 
both  vi'ere  cast  alive  into  a  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone.  And  the 
emnant  were  slain  with  the  sword  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  horse,  which 
'word  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth:  and  all  the  fowls  were  filled  with  their 
ilesh." 

The  prophets  of  the  Lord  do  not  write  history,  as  men  who  take 
notice  only  of  the  natural  causes,  and  of  the  material  events,  by  which 
powerful  armies  have  been  defeated,  and  kingdoms  destroyed. 
They  show  us,  at  first,  as  in  the  preceding  picture,  the  invisible 
Lord  of  hosts,  at  the  head  of  unseen  armies,  smiting  the  nations, 
and  ruling  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  for  having  despised  his  holy 

18 


206       *•  .  COMMENTARY. 

religion, — for  the  sword  goeth  out  of  his  mouth ;  they  represent, 
under  emblems,  the  righteousness  of  the  war,  the  certainty  of 
victory,  the  carnage  of  the  enemies,  and  the  glory  and  honor  of 
those  who  shall  be  engaged  in  that  holy  war,  which  shall  put  an  end 
to  the  old  controversy,  between  the  word  of  God  and  its  enemies. 
Then  only,  they  give  us  the  emblematic  description  of  the  armies, 
which  shall  fight  the  battle  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  be  the  instru- 
mentality made  use  of  for  the  destruction  of  his  enemies. 

"  And  I  saw  an  angel  standing  in  the  sun.'^  The  sun  is  the 
emblem  of  the  emperor  (6  :  12  •  8  :  12 ;  16  :  8)  ;  and,  by  metonymy, 
or  transposition  of  names,  of  the  empire  itself,  as  Rome  is  taken 
for  the  head  of  the  Roman  Church,  and  for  the  religion  itself. 
Likewise  an  angel  is  the  emblem  of  a  man,  or  of  an  army,  commis- 
sioned to  accomplish  the  will  of  God  (8  :  7-12 ;  9  :  14).  Now, 
since  the  reign  of  Charlemagne,  who  was  crowned  emperor  by  the 
Pope  Leon  III.  in  800,  France  has  been  the  seat  of  the  civil  Roman 
Empire;  therefore,  this  angel  standing  in  the  sun,  is  either  a 
French  army,  or  a  Frenchman,  whatever  may  be  his  titles,  who 
shall  stand  against  the  emperor  and  all  the  kings  leagued  together 
against  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

"  And  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  saying  to  all  the  fowls  that  fly 
in  the  midst  of  heaven.  Come  and  gather  yourselves  together  unto 
the  supper  of  the  great  God.'^  The  "  fowls,"  which  are  birds  of 
prey,  are  unclean,  and  cannot  represent  the  Christians ;  but  they 
represent,  as  it  is  said  in  the  parable  of  the  marriage  of  the  king's 
Son  (Matt.  22:9,  10;  Luke  14:21),  those,  whom  the  servants 
found  in  the  highways,  both  bad  and  good,  the  poor  and  the 
maimed,  the  halt  and  the  blind ;  so  that  the  house  was  filled  with 
guests.  Remark,  that  this  destruction  of  the  enemies  of  the  Lord 
is  called  "the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb;"  and  that  it  is  pro- 
bable that  Christians  will  pray  to  be  excused,  as  the  Jews,  alluded 
to  in  the  parable,  and  that  the  battle  shall  be  fought  by  men  such 
as  those  who  are  there  described.  They  are  "fowls,"  unconverted 
men  (Acts  10  :  12) ;  they  "fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,"  that  is,  they 
are  free,  independent  of  the  kings;  and  they  have  not  the  mark  of 
the  papal  bondage,  either  in  their  foreheads  or  in  their  right  hand  : 
though  they  are  born  Catholics  (17  :  16,  17),  they  neither  profess 
nor  favor  the  papal  religion  ;  they,  on  the  contrary,  hate  the  great 
whore.  Such  are,  then,  the  men  to  whom  the  angel,  standing  in 
the  sun,  that  is,  in  the  Empire,  against  the  infernal  league,  cries 
with  a  loud  voice,  by  a  proclamation  against  the  tyrants  :  "  Come 
and  gather  yourselves  together  unto  the  supper  of  the  great  God  ; 
that  ye  may  eat  the  flesh  (spoils,  riches,  estates)  of  kings,  the  flesh 


COMMENTARY.  207 

of  captains  and  mighty  men/^  and  of  all  the  supporters  of  tyranny, 
"  both  free  and  bond,  both  small  and  great/' 

It  may  be  said  also  that  the  corpses  of  the  soldiers  of  Antichrist's 
armies  shall  be  a  feast  for  the  fowls  of  heaven  ;  for  righteousness 
and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  the  throne  of  the  Lord.  It  is 
known  that  the  dead  bodies  of  the  martyrs  were  not  suffered  to  be 
put  in  graves  (11  :  9) ;  that,  by  an  order  of  the  pope,  the  dead 
body  of  Wicliff  was,  in  1416,-  dug  out  of  its  grave  to  be  burnt,  even 
forty-one  years  after  his  death. 

^' And  I  saw  the  beast  (the  pope  and  his  supporters),  and  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  and  their  armies,  gathered  together  (by  the 
three  unclean  spirits  16  :  13-21  showing  that  the  same  event  is 
spoken  of),  to  make  war  against  him  that  sat  on  the  white  horse, 
and  against  his  army."  There  is  no  description  here  either  of  the 
battle,  or  of  the  battle-field ;  because  we  know  already  that  the 
battle  shall  be  fought  at  Armageddon  (mountain  of  destruction)  ; 
and  that  the  carnage  shall  be  such  that  the  blood  shall  come  out  of 
the  winepress,  even  unto  the  horse  bridles,  by  the  space  of  a  thou- 
sand and  six  hundred  furlongs  (14  :  20).  The  prophet  tells  us  only 
what  shall  be  the  consequences  of  this  battle  :  "And  the  beast  was 
taken  (civil  powers),  and  with  him  the  false  prophet,  that  wrought 
miracles  before  him,  with  which  he  deceived  then-i  that  had  re- 
ceived the  mark  of  the  beast  (the  pagan  Roman  Empire  13  :  13— 
18';  2  Th.  2  :  9-12),  and  them  that  worshipped  his  image  (the 
empire  become  the  Papal  Empire).  These  both  were  cast  alive 
into  a  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone,' '  which  designates  the 
fire  of  artillery  by  which  they  shall  be  destroyed,  and  their  destruc- 
tion shall  be  everlasting,  as  their  torments  in  hell  (20  :  15). 

"  And  the  remnant  were  slain  with  the  sword  (death,  mourning, 
famine,  pestilence,  and  wars)  (18  :  8)  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  horse, 
which  sword  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth,  and  all  the  fowls  were 
filled  with  their  flesh"  (Ez.  39  :  17-22).  Though  the  destruction 
of  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  was  great,  there  was  a  remnant  who 
escaped,  perhaps  because  they  had  not  joined  the  armies  of  the 
Antichristian  league.  But  because  they  had  the  mark  of  the  beast, 
they  were  slain  with  the  sword,  which  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Lord — with  famine,  mourning,  and  pestilence  (18  :  8  ;  Ez.  7  : 
15),  which  are  swords  at  the  command  of  the  Lord.  The  sword  of 
the  Lord  is  his  word  (Heb.  4  :  12) ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  last 
words  :  "  And  all  the  fowls  were  filled  with  their  flesh,"  we  could 
infer  that  the  remnant  of  the  papists,  who  were  not  destroyed,  gave 
glory  to  God,  and  turned  to  the  Lord.  But  it  is  too  late  to  repent; 
therefore  all  those  who  have  trodden  under  foot  the  word  of  his 
grace,  and  chose  rather  to  worship  idols  and  support  the  enemies 


M^  ^ 


208  COMMENTARY.  ^ 

of  his  Church,  shall  he  as  wild  grapes  of  the  vine  of  the  earth, 
cast  into  the  great  winepress  of  the  wrath  of  God.  And  so  shall 
end  the  long  controversy  of  God  with  men ;  the  long  quarrel  about 
the  word  of  God,  and  his  covenant,  shall  be  decided,  at  the  coming 
of  the  Lord ;  for  '^  every  soul  which  will  not  hear  that  prophet^ 
shall  be  destroyed  from  among  the  people." 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE    MILLENNIUM   AND   THE   FINAL   JUDGMENT. 

V.  1-3.  "  And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of 
the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand.  And  he  laid  hold  on  the 
dragon,  that  old  serpent,  which  is  the  devil,  and  Satan,  and  bound  him  a 
thousand  years,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and 
seta  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more,  till  the  thou- 
sand years  should  be  fulfilled;  and  after  that  he  must  be  loosed  a  little 
season." 

Now  is  the  time  of  the  Gentiles  fulfilled ;  and  the  new  Jeru- 
salem, the  holy  city,  so  long  trodden  under  foot,  will  loose  the  bands 
from  her  neck,  and  put  on  the  beautiful  garments  of  rejoicings ; 
for  the  Lord  her  God  reigneth ;  and  he  will  introduce  her  with 
triumph  into  the  kingdom,  prepared  for  her  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world. 

"  And  I  saw  an  angel  come  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key 
of  the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand."  This  angel 
is  the  symbol  of  Jesus  Christ,  taking  possession  of  the  kingdoms  of 
the  earth,  in  the  persons  of  his  saints,  to  whom  "the  kingdom  and 
dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole 
heaven  shall  be  given"  (Dan.  7  :  27).  After  the  destruction  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  called  also  'Uhe  bottomless  pit"  (9:1-3), 
the  key  was  given  to  a  star,  fallen  from  heaven  unto  the  earth  (to 
an  apostate  bishop,  Boniface  III.) ;  and,  when  he  had  opened  it, 
there  arose  out  of  the  pit,  a  smoke  like  that  of  a  great  furnace,  that 
is,  popedom  and  the  Dark  Ages,  ]5ut  now,  the  key  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  is  in  the  hands  of  an  angel, 
coming  down  from  heaven — of  Jesus  himself, — who  will  give  it  to 
his  servants.  Instead  of  making  use  of  it  to  obtain  worldly  gran- 
deur and  dominion,  they  will  shut  Satan  in  the  bottomless  pit 
with  the  kings  and  the  false  prophet ;  and  they  shall  bind  him, 


COMMENTARY.  209 

with  good  institutions  and  laws,  as  with  a  great  chain*  so  that,  the 
tyrannical  powers  of  the  earth  being  destroyed,  Satan  shall  be 
unable  to  hurt  any  more  in  the  holy  mountain  of  the  Lord.  Con- 
sequently, instead  of  oppression,  murders,  wars,  and  intemperance, 
and  idolatrous  worship,  there  will  be,  throughout  the  earth,  peace 
and  liberty,  brotherly  love,  holiness,  and  true  worship  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  :  "  And  many  nations  shall  come,  and  say.  Come,  and  let 
us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  house  of  the  God 
of  Jacob  ;  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in 
his  paths." 

*'  And  he  laid  hold  on  the  dragon,  and  bound  him  a  thousand 
years,  and  cast  him  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  shut  him  up,  and 
set  a  seal  upon  him,  that  he  should  deceive  the  nations  no  more, 
till  the  thousand  years  be  fulfilled."  The  good  laws  and  institu- 
tions, established  by  Christian  rulers,  shall  be  as  a  seal  set  upon 
Satan,  so  that,  being  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit  of  destruction  with 
the  civil  powers,  he  shall  be  unable  to  deceive  any  more  the  nations, 
and  to  raise  up  any  new  tyrannical  power,  to  make  war  with  the 
Lamb  and  his  servants. 

But,  after  the  thousand  years,  he  shall  be  loosed  a  little  season, 
when  Gog  and  Magog  shall  be  powerful  enough  to  be  instnimental 
to  his  wrath  to  favor  again  tyranny  and  idolatry.  Hence,  we  may 
infer,  that  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  shall  be  circumscribed  (perhaps 
according  to  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  47  :  13-23) ;  and  that,  before 
the  final  judgment,  the  kings  and  nations  of  the  East,  shall  only 
bring  their  honor  and  glory  into  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  (16  :  12). 
We  may  suppose,  then,  that  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  shall 
only  be  the  Lord's,  after  the  destruction  of  Gog  and  Magog;  and 
this  supposition  is  strengthened  by  the  prophecy  itself,  for  it  refers 
only  to  the  Roman  Empire,  either  pagan  or  papist,  a  circumscribed 
kingdom,  as  was  the  Jewish  Church. 

V,  4-6.  "And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  upon  them,  and  judgment  was 
given  unto  them:  and  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded,  for  the 
witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God,  and  which  had  not  worshipped 
the  beast,  neither  his  image,  neitiier  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  fore- 
heads, or  in  their  hands  ;  and  they  Hved  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand 
years.  But  the  rest  of  tlie  dead  lived  not  again,  until  the  thousand  years 
were  finished.  This  is  the  first  resurrection.  Blessed  and  holy  is  he,  that 
hatii  part  in  the  first  resurrection  :  on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power, 
but  they  shall  be  priests  of  God,  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  him  a 
thousand  years." 

"  And  I  saw  thrones,  and  they  sat  upon  them,  and  judgment  was 
given  unto  them."  These  thrones  are  the  thrones  of  the  princes 
of  the  earth,  leaaued  with  the  dragon,  and  with  the  ftilse  prophet, 

18^ 


210  COMMENTARY. 

which  are  now  the  Lord's.  Though  the  prophet  does  not  call,  by 
their  names,  the  rulers,  that  sat  upon  these  thrones,  we  may  learn, 
from  the  resurrection  of  the  martyrs  of  the  Lord,  that  they  are  of 
the  same  family, — of  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High, 
unto  whom  the  kingdom  has  been  given. 

"  And  I  saw  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded,  for  the  wit- 
ness of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  God.'^  Here  is  the  description 
of  those  who  shall  live  and  reign  with  Christ,  during  the  Millen- 
nium. There  are  first,  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded  for 
the  witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of  Grod.  The  Greek 
*'  Pepelekismenon'^  means  "  killed  with  the  axe,"  and  points  out 
the  pagan  persecutions,  at  the  time  of  the  primitive  Church,  under 
the  Roman  emperors.  The  prophet  saw  only  their  "  souls,''  show- 
ing that  a  resurrection  of  the  body  is  not  spoken  of,  as  it  shall  be 
shown  hereafter.  The  English  translation:  "And  which  had  not 
worshipped  the  beast,"  does  not  render  exactly  the  meaning  of  the 
Greek  '^  Oitines,"  whose  signification  ''  ichoever,"  designates  the 
living,  as  well  as  the  dead;  whilst  the  pronoun  ^^  which,"  refers 
only  to  the  souls  of  them  that  were  beheaded,  and  had  not  wor- 
shipped the  beast,  nor  his  image.  Therefore,  the  phrase  must  run 
thus :  "  And  whosoever  had  not  worshipped  the  beast  (the  Roman 
pagan  empire),  neither  his  image  (popery),  neither  had  received 
his  mark  upon  their  foreheads  or  in  their  hands ;"  that  is,  who 
had  neither  professed,  nor  supported,  nor  preached  the  papal  doc- 
trines. 

"And  they  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ  a  thousand  years." 
This  life  and  reign  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord  is  called :  "  the  first 
resurrection;"  thereforej  it.  is  not  a  resurrection  like  that  of  the  two 
witn<>sses  (11  :  11-23);  for  it  would  be  called  :  "the  second  resur- 
rection :"  neither  is  it  like  that  of  Elias,  which  was  accomplished 
by  the  birth  of  John  the  Baptist  (Matt.  17  :  10-13) ;  nor  like  that 
of  the  Jews,  whose  conversion  is  called,  "a  life  from  the  dead;" 
but  it  is  a  resurrection  both  political  and  religious,  at  the  same  time. 
For,  from  the  foundation  of  Christianity,  the  two  witnesses  of  the 
Lord  had  been  given  to  be  trodden  under  foot  by  the  Gentiles ;  so 
that  the  martyrs  of  the  pagan  persecutions  were  looked  upon,  as  the 
enemies  of  men  and  of  the  gods ;  likewise  those  of  the  papal  per- 
secutions were  destroyed  as  heretics,  and  enemies  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
even,  at  present,  the  living  l*rotestants  are  still  under  the  curses 
and  anathemas  of  the  great  Ileresiarch,  sitting  as  god  in  the  tem- 
ple of  God ;  for  none  of  his  infernal  decrees  against  them  has 
been  repealed ;  and  so  the  Protestants  are  yet  under  the  papal 
anathemas.  But,  after  the  destruction  of  the  infernal  league,  wh«ii 
the  words  of  God  shall  be  fulfilled,  the  kingdom  being  given  to  the 


COMMENTARY.  211 

people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High,  their  memory  shall  be  re- 
instated; they  shall  be  declared,  ''The  faithful,  the  ransomed 
people  of  the  Lord/^  and  they  shall  live,  and  reign  morally  with 
him  a  thousand  years.  Until  now,  God  has  done  nothing,  in  the 
sight  of  men,  to  reinstate  hip  servants,  to  adopt  them  as  children — 
not  even  when  Christianity  was,  for  a  short  time,  proclaimed  the 
rehgion  of  the  Roman  Empire, — they  have  always  been  looked  upon 
as  fanatics,  superstitious,  heretics,  and  enemies  of  God  and  men  ; 
but  now,  the  kingdom,  under  the  whole  earthy  is  in  their  hands ; 
and  the  blessedness,  enjoyed  under  their  administration,  is  the  first 
step  to,  and  the  first  image  of,  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  God,  after 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  at  the  final  judgment :  it  is  the  first 
deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  Satan,  since  the  fall  of  man. 

''  But  the  rest  of  the  dead  lived  not  again,  until  the  thousand 
years  were  finished."  Besides  the  Protestants,  who  have  always 
been  as  dead  or  damned  under  the  papal  anathemas,  and  the 
martyrs  of  pagan  persecutions,  there  are  many  servants  of  God,  who 
had  only  the  number  of  the  beast,  or  the  name  of  Papists,  as  Pascal 
and  Fenelon,  and  some  others,  who  have  been  put  to  death,  as 
heretics,  by  the  Inquisition  in  Spain,  Italy,  and  in  other  countries; 
but,  as  they  did  not  belong  professedly,  either  to  the  accursed  sect 
of  Protestants,  or  to  the  martyrs  under  pagan  Home,  their  spiritual 
condition  shall  not  be  known  before  the  final  ju.dgment;  and  so, 
these  dead,  under  the  pagan  or  papal  curses,  shall  not  live  again  ; 
that  is,  shall  not  be  justified  and  accounted  faithful,  until  the  last 
judgment,  when  the  thousand  years  shall  be  finished,  and  when 
every  man  shall  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  There- 
fore, "  this  is  the  first  resurrection/'  the  first  rehabilitation  of  the 
people  of  God,  and  the  first  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  At  the  second  resurrection,  they  shall  put  on  im- 
mortality, and  shall  be  like  angels  before  God;  but,  during  the 
Millennium,  they  shall  be  priests  of  God,  and  of  Christ,  a  holy 
people,  serving  the  Lord,  and  reigning  with  him  a  thousand  years 
(1:6).  •  ^ 

"  Blessed  and  holy  is  he  that  hath  part  in  the  first  resurrection  : 
on  such  the  second  death  hath  no  power,  but  they  shall  be  priests 
of  God  and  of  Christ,  and  shall  reign  with  him  a  thousaud  years." 
These  words  indicate  clearly  that  a  political  and  religious  resurrec- 
tion is  spoken  of;  for  those  that  shall  have  part  in  it,  are  declared 
to  be  blessed  and  holy,  and  free  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  Satan, 
which  are  the  cause  of  the  second  death.  That  is  the  reason,  for 
which  it  is  said,  "  Blessed  are  they  which  are  called  unto  the  mar- 
riage supper  of  the  Lamb"  (19  :  9)  ;  for,  not  only  they  shall  escape 
from  the  general  destruction  of  the  supporters  of  popery,  but  also 


212  COMMENTARY. 

they  shall  enjoy  all  the  means  of  grace,  which  shall  be  abundantly 
supplied  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  Nevertheless,  we  ought  not  to 
entertain  ridiculous  and  extravagant  opinions  about  the  nature  of 
this  kingdom  of  our  Lord  :  all  we  can  expect  with  certainty  is  that 
^Hhe  kingdom  and  dominion  and  the* greatness  of  the  kingdom 
under  the  whole  heaven  (the  Roman  Empire),  shall  be  given  to 
the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  Most  High — that  all  dominions  shall 
serve  and  obey  him — that  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea;  and  that,  in  that  day,  the 
Lord  shall  set  his  hand  again  the  second  time  to  recover  the 
remnant  of  his  people ;  which  shall  be  left,  from  the  four  corners 
of  the  earth"  (Dan.  2  :  44  ;  7  :  26,  27  ;  Is.  11  :  9-13).  And,  for 
the  other  blessings,  we  find  them  described  in  the  following 
passages  of  the  prophets  Isaiah  and  Micah  : — 

"  For,  behold,  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  :  and  the 
former  shall  not  be  remembered,  nor  come  into  mind.  But  be  ye 
glad  and  rejoice  forever  in  that  which  I  create  :  for,  behold,  I 
create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing,  and  her  people  a  joy.  And  I  will  re- 
joice in  Jerusalem,  and  joy  in  my  people  :  and  the  voice  of  weep- 
ing shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  crying.  There 
shall  be  no  more  thence  an  infant  of  days,  nor  an  old  man  that 
hath  not  filled  his  days  :  for  the  child  shall  die  an  hundred  years 
old ;  but  the  sinner  being  an  hundred  years  old  shall  be  accursed. 
And  they  shall  build  houses,  and  inhabit  them  ;  and  they  shall 
plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the  fruit  of  them.  They  shall  not  build, 
and  another  inhabit ;  they  shall  not  plant,  and  another  eat :  for  as 
the  days  of  a  tree  are  the  days  of  my  people,  and  mine  elect  shall 
long  enjoy  the  works  of  their  hands.  They  shall  not  labor  in  vain, 
nor  bring  forth  for  trouble ;  for  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of 
the  Lord,  and  their  offspring  with  them.  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  before  they  call,  I  will  answer  ;  and  while  they  are  yet 
speaking,  1  will  hear.  The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together, 
and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  bullock  :  and  dust  shall  be  the 
serpent's  meat.  They  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy 
mountain,  saith  the  Lord"  (Is.  65  :  17-25). 

"  But  in  the  last  days  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  mountain 
of  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  and  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills;  and  people  shall 
flow  unto  it.  And  many  nations  shall  come,  and  say.  Come,  and 
let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  house  of  the 
God  of  Jacob,  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk 
in  his  paths  :  for  the  law  shall  go  forth  of  Zion,  and  the  word  of 
the  ]jord  from  Jerusalem.  And  he  shall  judge  among  many  people, 
and  rebuke  strong  nations  afar  oiF;  and  they  shall  beat  their  swords 


COMMENTARY.  213 

into  ploughsliares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks  :  nation  sliall 
not  lift  up  a  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more.  But  they  shall  sit  every  man  under  his  vine  and  under  his 
fig  tree  ;  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid  :  for  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts  hath  spoken  it"  (Mich.  4  :  1-4).  Such  are  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  blessings,  which  we  may  expect  to  enjoy,  at 
the  first  resurrection  of  the  people  of  God,  until  we  put  on  life  and 
immortality,  and  be  as  the  Lord  is  in  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  Grod, 
therefore  by  this  first  resurrection,  the  first  degree  of  deliverance 
accomplished  by  the  Messiah,  Christians  are  made  free  from  the 
yoke  of  their  enemies,  and  they  enjoy  the  blessings  of  a  new  Eden. 

V.  7-10.  "  And  \Ylien  the  thousand  years  are  expired,  Satan  shall  be  loosed 
oitt  of  his  prison,  and  shall  go  out  to  deceive  the  nations  which  are  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  Gog  and  Magog,  to  gather  them  together  to  battle  : 
the  number  of  whom  is  as  the  sand  of  the  sea.  And  they  went  up  on  the 
breadth  of  the  earth,  and  compassed  the  camp  of  the  saints  about,  and  the 
beloved  city  :  and  fire  came  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and  devoured 
them.  And  the  devil  that  deceived  them  was  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and 
brimstone,  where  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  are.  and  shall  be  tormented 
day  and  night  forever  and  ever," 

^^  And  when  the  thousand  years  are  expired,  Satan  shall  be 
loosed  out  of  his  prison."  After  the  Millennium  the  great  sabbath 
of  the  saints,  the  numerous  people,  who  shall  oppose  the  influence 
of  tfhe  gospel,  will  aff'ord  Satan  a  support  powerful  enough,  to  at- 
tempt again  to  destroy  the  saints  of  ih.Q  Lord.  Gog  and  Magog, 
marching  at  the  head  of  great  armies,  deceived  by  Satan,  shall 
compass  the  camp  of  the  saints  and  the  beloved  city,  which  is  the 
Church  of  the  living  God.  They  shall  say  in  their  heart :  ^^  I  will 
go  up  to  the  land  of  unwalled  villages ;  I  will  go  to  them  that  are 
at  rest,  that  dwell  safely,  all  of  them  dwelling  without  walls,  and 
having  neither  bars  nor  gates,  to  take  spoil,  and  to  take  a  prey ;  to 
turn  thine  hand  upon  the  desolate  places  that  are  now  inhabited, 
and  upon  the  people  that  are  gathered  out  of  the  nations,  which 
have  gotten  cattle  and  goods,  that  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the  land. 
Sheba,  and  Dedon,  and  the  merchants  of  Tarshish,  with  all  the 
young  lions  thereof,  shall  say  unto  thee,  Art  thou  come  to  take  a 
spoil  ?  Hast  thou  gathered  thy  company  to  take  a  prey  ?  To  carry 
away  silver  and  gold,  to  take  away  cattle  and  goods,  to  take  great 
spoil"  (Ez.  88  :  11-13)  ?  Gog  does  not  know  that  the  people  of 
God  dwelleth  safely ;  that,  as  the  mountains  are  round  about 
Jerusalem,  so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people.  Therefore,  a 
fire  shall  come  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and  shall  devour 
them.  Seven  months,  Ezekiel  says,  shall  the.  house  of  Israel  be 
burying  of  them,  that  they  may  cleanse  the  land.     This  shall  be 


214  COMMENTARY. 

the  last  attempt  of  Satan  to  destroy  the  people  of  Grod ;  for  he  shall 
be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone — not  into  the  fire  of 
wars — but  into  hell,  where  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  are,  and 
he  shall  be  tormented  day  and  night  forever  and  ever. 

Magog  was  the  son  of  Japheth,  and  was  the  father  of  the  nations 
which  inhabited  the  country  formerly  called  '^  Scythia/'  and  now, 
"  Tartary"  (Gen.  10  :  2—5) ;  and  Gog  is  considered  as  the  title  of 
their  king,  as  Pharaoh  was  the  name  of  all  the  kings  of  Egypt. 
The  prophet  Ezekiel  (38  and  39)  speaks  of  Gog,  inhabiting  the 
land  of  Magog,  as  the  chief  prince  of  Meshech  and  Tubal,  which 
are  supposed  to  be,  from  their  analogy,  "  Moscow,"  and  "  Tobolsk." 
Scott  thinks  that,  in  Ezekiel,  it  is  spoken  of  events  anterior  to  the 
Millennium ;  and  that  Gog  and  Magog,  spoken  of  in  St.  John, 
are  not  the  same  ;  for,  he  says,  according  to  Ezekiel,  they  come 
only  from  the  north,  whilst,  in  St.  John,  they  are  the  nations, 
"  which  are  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth." 

But  it  is  said  in  Ezekiel  (38  :  5,  6)  that  "  Persia  (which  is  in 
the  east),  Ethiopia  (in  the  south),  and  Libya"  (west),  and  Gomer, 
and  all  his  bands,  the  house  of  Togarmah  (Gen.  10),  who  were  the 
fathers  of  the  nations,  which  inhabited  the  isles,  shall  come  with  him 
to  the  battle,  with  all  their  armies.  Therefore,  the  prophets  agree 
together  for  the  countries,  from  which  they  shall  come.  They 
agree  also  for  the  attack  of  these  different  nations,  for  the  time  (in 
the  latter  days,  verse  16),  and  yet  for  their  destruction.  For,  it  is 
said  (verse  22)  :  "  And  I  will  plead  against  him  with  pestilence, 
and  with  blood ;  and  I  will  rain  upon  him,  and  upon  his  bands,  and 
upon  the  many  people  that  are  with  him,  an  overflowing  rain,  and 
great  hailstones,  and  fire,  and  brimstone." 

But  how  shall  we  reconcile  that  attack  of  Gog,  at  the  head  of  so 
great  an  army  of  different  nations,  with  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah 
and  Micah,  saying  that  they  shall  not  hurt,  nor  destroy  in  the  holy 
mountain  of  the  Lord  ;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea;  and  all  the  people  shall 
serve  the  Lord?  (Ps.  72  :  8-11 ;  Hab.  2  :  14.)  It  is  evident  that 
the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  shall  be  circumscribed,  till  the  end  of  the 
Millennium  ;  that  all  the  other  kingdoms  shall  only  be  under  his 
dominion,  as  England  and  the  United  States,  which,  being  inha- 
bited by  the  same  people,  spoken  of  (11  :  7-13)  as  the  witnesses, 
who  after  a  cruel  persecution,  stood  on  their  feet,  and  ascended  up 
to  the  throne  of  England,  have  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  the  gospel 
from  the  time  of  their  triumph  over  the  princes  of  darkness. 
There  will  be,  as  in  these  two  countries,  good  and  wicked  men 
living  together  :  ^' the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb;"  but  the 
good  shall  be  stronger  than  the  wicked ;  and,  at  the  close  of  the 


COMMENTARY.  215 

Millennium,  by  the  favor  of  Gog,  an  apostate  prince  or  an  avowed 
enemy  of  the  Lord,  the  prevailing  number  of  the  wicked,  enticed 
by  the  love  of  pillage,  and  deceived  by  Satan,  shall  gather  together 
for  this  battle,  which  shall  cause  their  own  destruction.  And,  then, 
the  great  enemy  of  men,  Satan,  who  has  brought  upon  mankind  all 
the  calamities  which  have  been  inflicted  upon  men  from  the  creation 
of  the  world,  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone,  where 
the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  are,  and  he  shall  be  tormented  day 
and  night  forever  and  ever. 

V.  11-15.  "  And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it,  from 
whose  face  the  earth  and  the  heavens  fled  away ;  and  there  was  found  no 
place  for  them.  And  1  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God  ; 
and  the  books  were  opened  :  and  another  book  was  opened,  which  is  the  book 
of  life  :  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things  which  were  written  in 
the  books,  according  to  their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the  dead  which 
were  in  it;  and  death  and  hell  delivered  up  the  dead  which  were  in  them: 
and  they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  their  works.  And  death  and 
hell  were  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  This  is  the  second  death.  And  who- 
soever was  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  life  was  cast  into  the  lake 
of  fire." 

When  Massillon  preached  his  famous  discourse,  "  On  the  small 
number  of  the  elect,"  before  the  court  of  Louis  XIV.,  at  Versailles, 
all  his  auditory  arose  involuntarily,  as  struck  with  terror,  at  the 
pict^ire  of  the  few  of  his  hearers,  who  would  be  saved,  should  the 
Lord  appear  there  to  make  the  trial  among  them.  But  what  is 
the  picture  of  the  great  orator,  in  comparison  with  the  sublimity  of 
this  picture  of  the  final  judgment,  so  grand  and  so  majestic  that  it 
is  beyond  any  human  conception  ! 

God  appears,  at  a  glance,  sitting  on  a  great  white  throne  ;  and 
the  earth  and  the  heavens  fly  away  from  his  presence.  The  dead, 
small  and  great,  stand  before  the  judgment  seat,  to  be  judged 
according  to  their  works.  The  books  are  opened  ;  no  man  can 
escape,  for  the  sea  gives  up  the  dead,  which  have  been  buried  in 
the  deep ;  death  itself  and  the  sepulchre  deliver  up  the  dead  which 
are  in  them ;  and  death  and  the  sepulchre  are  cast  into  the  lake  of 
fire,  with  those  who  are  not  found  written  in  the  book  of  life. 

"  This  is  the  second  death ;"  therefore,  those  who  are  not  re- 
conciled to  God,  by  Jesus,  and  live  unconcerned  for  their  salvation, 
are  like  intoxicated  men,  dancing  and  rejoicing  in  the  delusive 
thought  that  they  are  rich,  whilst  they  are  poor  and  miserable,  and 
while  the  executors  of  men's  judgments  are  at  their  door.  God 
forbid  that,  when  Christ  knocks  at  our  door,  we  may  say,  as  Felix, 
"  Go  thy  way  for  this  time,  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I 


216  COMMENTARY. 

will  call  for  thee ;"  we  must  not  delay,  while  we  can  boldly  approacli 
the  throne  of  grace,  and  when  God  is  easy  to  be  found. 

^^  And  I  saw  a  great  white  throne."  The  throne  is  white,  to 
show  the  justice  and  holiness  of  Grod's  judgments.  He  that  sat  on 
it,  is  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  appointed  judge  of  the  quick  and  of 
the  dead  (Rom.  2:16;  2  Cor.  5  :  10) ;  and  he  shall  judge,  not 
according  to  the  traditions  or  teachings  of  men,  but  according  to 
the  word,  which  he  has  spoken  (John  12  :  48).  "  The  earth  and 
the  heavens  fled  away"  from  his  presence,  "  and  there  was  found 
no  place  for  them ;"  that  is,  every  earthly  thing,  as  wants,  in- 
firmity, sickness,  death,  kingdoms,  and  earthly  grandeur  and  glory, 
fled  away ;  and  eternity  commenced  :  there  is  time  no  longer.  (See 
nineteenth  chapter,  the  destruction  of  this  world.) 

"And  the  books  were  opened."  There  are,  then,  many  books 
of  remembrance  before  the  Lord;  1st,  the  book  of  conscience, 
which  is  a  witness  against  the  sinner;  2d,  the  book  of  natural  law, 
by  which  shall  be  judged  those  who  have  been  deprived  of  the 
book  of  God ;  3d,  the  book  of  the  law  given  on  the  Mount  Sinai; 
4th,  the  book  of  the  gospel,  which  has  been  opposed  or  rejected, 
and  which  shall  render  more  dreadful  the  condemnation  of  sinners ; 
5th,  the  book  of  life,  written  before  God  for  them  that  feared  the 
Lord,  and  that  thought  upon  his  name  (Mai.  3  :  16). 

Therefore,  the  character  of  every  one  shall  be  manifest :  our 
actions,  either  public  or  secret ;  our  motives,  intentions,  obligations, 
talents,  advantages,  and  even  our  idle  words,  thoughts,  and  desires, 
shall  be  compared  with  the  law  of  God  ;  and  the  judgment  shall 
be  pronounced  with  the  most  exact  justice,  according  to  the  talents 
intiTisted  to  us,  and  the  circumstances  increasing  or  alleviating  our 
culpability.  The  Gentiles,  who  have  sinned  without  law,  shall  also 
perish  without  law ;  and,  as  many  as  have  sinned  in  the  law,  shall 
be  judged  by  the  law  (Rom.  2  :  12-16).  But,  by  the  deeds  of  the 
law  there  shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in  the  sight  of  God;  for  all 
have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  All  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  Adam,  weighed  in  the  balances,  shall  be  found 
wanting ;  and,  had  not  Jesus  Christ,  our  high  priest,  atoned  for 
our  sins,  we  all  should  be  condemned. 

But,  thanks  be  to  God,  there  is  a  book  of  remembrance  before 
God  for  those  that  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  upon  his  name. 
This  book  of  life  is  the  emblem  of  the  knowledge,  which  God  has 
of  his  people,  whose  sins  he  has  cast  into  the  sea,  because  they 
answered  when  he  called  ;  they  believed,  and  repented  of  their 
sins,  and  chose  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  Having  been  elected,  accord- 
ing to  the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father,  and  sanctified  by  the 


COMMENTARY.  217 

Holy  Gliost,  unto  the  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  they  find,  at  that  great  day,  as  among  tlie  Jews  of  old,  a 
rich  brother,  the  Son  of  G-od,  who  is  able  and  willing  to  redeem  and 
restore  th^m  their  heritage,  which  they  have  sold  away.  But  the 
unbelievers  have  no  man,  no  brother,  to  redeem  their  heritage,  and 
it  shall  not  go  out  in  the  jubilee  (Lev.  25  :  30).  They  have  set  at 
nought  the  counsel  of  God,  and  would  none  of  his  reproofs ;  there- 
fore, God  shall  laugh  at  their  calamity.  There  is,  now,  no  Media- 
tor, no  throne  of  grace,  for  them  that  are  not  reconciled  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ.  But  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them  which  are 
in  Christ  Jesus ;  for  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  (Rom,  6  :  23 ;  8:1,  31-35 ;  2  Cor.  5  :  10-21). 

"And  they  were  judged  every  man  according  to  their  works.'' 
Some  profess  that  they  know  God ;  but  in  works  they  deny  him. 
Therefore,  we  shall  be  judged,  according  to  our  works ;  for  they 
are  the  witnesses  of  the  sincerity  and  efficacy  of  our  faith,  and 
show  our  character,  as  by  the  fruits  we  judge  of  the  tree.  Never- 
theless our  works  are  not,  as  the  price,  by  which  we  can  buy 
heaven.  It  is  freely  given  to  those,  who,  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
take  and  drink  the  water  of  life.  For  we  are  saved,  "not  by 
works  of  righteousness,  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  the 
mercy  of  God  our  Saviour,  who  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  rege- 
neration, and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  which  he  shed  on  us 
abiAidantly  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour ;  that  being  justified 
by  his  grace,  we  should  be  made  heirs  according  to  the  hope  of 
eternal  life.''  But,  though  we  are  saved  by  grace,  it  is  by  our 
works  that  we  shall  be  judged  whether  we  are  in  Christ  or  not. 
And,  as  Jesus  Christ  himself  has  given  us  a  description  of  the  final 
judgment  (Matt.  25  :  31-46),  we  may  know,  by  our  works,  whether 
we  shall  be  set  on  the  right,  or  on  the  left  hand.  The  condemned 
sinners,  whose  names  shall  not  be  found  in  the  book  of  life  of  the 
Lamb,  shall  be  cast,  as  useless  vessels,  with  death  itself  and  the 
sepulchre,  into  the  lake  of  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 
And,  then,  Jesus  having  put  down  all  rule  and  all  authority  and 
power,  and  destroyed  death,  which  is  the  last  enemy,  which  shall 
be  subdued  unto  him,  "shall  the  Son  also  himself  be  subjected 
unto  Him  that  put  all  things  under  him,  that  Grod  may  be  all  in 
all"  (1  Cor.  15  :  24-28). 


19 


218  COMMENTARY. 


CHAPTER    XXL 

THE    HEAVENLY   JERUSALEM. 

V.  1-4.  "  And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  :  for  the  first  heaven 
and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away;  and  there  was  no  more  sea.  And  I 
John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God  out  of 
heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband.  And  I  heard  a  great 
voice  out  of  heaven  saying.  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and 
he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself 
shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God.  And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  their  eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  tliere  be  any  more  pain :  for  the  former  things  are  passed 
away." 

Here  is  the  end  of  the  prophecy.  For,  in  the  following  verses, 
the  prophet  shows  who,  and  what  church  shall  inherit  the  kingdom 
of  Grod,  and  who  shall  be  deprived  of  its  blessings.  The  last 
chapter  contains,  as  it  were,  the  seal  of  the  Lord,  approving  and 
ratifying  the  contents  of  the  prophecy,  and  the  signatures  of  the 
prophet,  commissioned  to  write  it,  and  of  the  Spirit,  who  inspired 
the  prophet,  and  of  the  bride,  who  has  experienced  that  it  is  indeed 
the  word  of  the  Lord.  This  passage  comes  immediately  after  the 
sixth  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter.  The  prophet,  having 
spoken  of  the  destruction  of  the  beast  and  of  the  false  prophet ;  of 
the  confinement  of  Satan,  and  of  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  left  off  his  subject,  to  speak  of  the  revolt  of  Gog  and  Magog, 
and  of  the  final  judgment,  which  shall  follow  the  destruction  of 
these  enemies  of  the  saints  of  the  Lord.  Now,  he  resumes  his 
subject  and  shows  us  what  shall  be  the  blessings,  enjoyed  under 
the  government  of  the  saints  sitting  on  the  thrones  of  the  earth. 

"  And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth ;  for  the  first  heaven 
(the  lioman  Empire,  either  pagan  or  papal),  and  the  first  earth 
(heathenism  and  popery)  were  passed  away;  and  there  was  no  more 
sea"  (no  political  convulsion) ;  consequently  neither  tyranny,  nor 
persecution,  no  false  prophet,  no  anathemas,  to  protect  and  support 
superstition  and  idolatry.  This  is  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth, 
wherein  dwelleth  righteousness,  peace,  holiness,  and  liberty.  It  is 
a  new  earth,  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as 
the  waters  cover  the  sea,  where  all  shall  be  taught  of  God,  and 
where  the  righteous  shall  shine  forth  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of 
their  Father.  "  They  shall  sit  every  nian  under  his  vine  and  under 
his  fig  tree ;  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid  :  for  the  mouth  of 


COMMENTARY.  219 

the  Lord  of  hosts  hath  spoken  it."  Thej  shall  walk  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  their  God  forever  and  ever.  ^'  And  the  inhabitants  of 
one  city  shall  go  to  another,  saying,  Let  us  go  speedily  to  pray  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  of  hosts  :  I  will  go  also.  And 
it  shall  be,  that  whosoever  will  not  come  up  of  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  unto  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  king,  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
even  upon  them  shall  be  no  rain ;  and  in  that  day  shall  there  be 
upon  the  bells  of  the  horses,  Holiness  unto  the  Lord''  (Mich.  4  :  1— 
5 ;  Is.  2,  11,  60,  62 ;  Zech.  8  :  21-23  ;  14  :  17-20). 

^-  And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down 
from  Grod  out  of  heaven."  The  holy  city  comes  down  from  Grod 
out  of  heaven,  to  indicate  that  all  her  beauty,  riches,  and  glory, 
come  from  God  and  the  Lamb,  through  the  powerful  agency  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  She  is  not  the  work  of  men  :  it  is  God  who  made  her 
as  she  is.  She  received  the  ornaments,  with  which  she  is  adorned, 
from  the  Lamb,  her  Lord  and  husband,  who,  through  love  to  her, 
regarded  her  in  her  low  estate,  and,  having  given  her  his  titles  of 
grandeur  and  nobility,  exalted  her  to  the  high  dignity,  which  she 
holds  as  the  bride  and  wife  of  the  Son  of  God. 

''  And  I  heard  a  great  voice  out  of  heaven  saying,  Behold,  the 
tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and 
they  shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with  them,  and 
be  their  God."  The  tabernacle  was  a  portable  temple,  divided  into 
two  parts,  representing  the  two  states  of  the  Church  and  the  two 
natures  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  outer  part,  called  "  sanctuary,"  be- 
cause it  had  been  built  up  to  adore  a  holy  God,  to  represent  a  holy 
Saviour,  and  to  form  a  holy  people,  was  as  the  court  and  palace  of 
the  great  king  of  Israel.  The  inner  part  was  called  "  the  holiest  of 
all,"  and  was  the  type  of  heaven,  and  of  the  body  of  Christ,  who 
permits  us  to  have  a  glimpse  of  heavenly  things,  through  his  death 
on  the  cross,  and  to  approach  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace,  through 
his  atoning  sacrifice,  upon  which  rest  the  grounds  of  our  hopes  of 
eternal  life  and  inheritance — or  rather,  the  outer  part  was  the  type 
of  the  Church  trodden  under  foot,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles 
be  fulfilled,  and  striving  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and  the 
inner  part  represented  the  Church  enjoying  the  blessings  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  during  the  Millennium,  and  after  the  final 
judgment,  when  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  have  put  on 
immortality. 

This  tabernacle  was  the  symbol  of  the  presence  of  God  among 
his  people  (Ex.  25:8)-  therefore,  the  words:  ''Behold,  the 
tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,"  shows  that  God  shall  dwell  hence- 
forth among  his  people — that  he  will  surround  his  Church  with  his 
powerful  protection — that  she  shall  never  be  trodden  down  of  the 


220  COMMENTARY. 

Gentiles — and  that  he  will  impart  to  her  every  blessing,  as  it  is 
expressly  declared  that  he  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes 
— that  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow;  that  is,  perse- 
cutions, bloody,  crusades,  nor  crying  under  tyrants,  neither  shall 
there  be  any  more  pain;  ^'  for  the  former  things  (pagan  and  papal 
tyranny)  are  passed  away;''  and  the  mountain  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
all  glory  and  happiness  and  rejoicings.  But  who  shall  inherit 
these  blessings,  and  who  shall  be  deprived  of  them?  These 
questions  are  answered  in  the  following  passages. 

V.  5-8.  "  And  he  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said,  Behold,  I  make  all  things 
new.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Write :  for  these  words  are  true  and  faithful. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  It  is  done.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning 
and  the  end.  I  will  give  unto  him  that  is  atl)irst  of  the  fountain  of  the  water 
of  life  freely.  He  that  overcometh  shall  inherit  all  things;  and  I  will  be  his 
God,  and  he  shall  be  my  son.  But  the  fearful,-  and  unbelieving,  and  the 
abomir»able,  and  murderer.s,  and  whoremongers,  and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters, 
and  all  liars,  shall  have  their  part  in  the  lake  which  burneth  with  fire  and 
brimstone :  which  is  the  second  death." 

This  law,  enacted  by  the  Lord  sitting  upon  the  throne,  cannot 
be  a  law  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom;  for  there  shall  be 
there  neither  fearfulness,  nor  unbelief,  neither  any  of  the  abomina- 
ble things,  which  are  mentioned  in  that  picture.  It  is,  then,  a 
fundamental  law  of  the  kingdom,  having  force  and  power  from  the 
time  of  the  prophecy.  The  words,  "  Behold,  I  make  all  things 
new,"  are  themselves  a  prophecy  of  the  destruction  of  the  king- 
doms of  the  earth,  and  of  the  final  triumph  of  his  Church,  signi- 
fying, "  Behold,  I  shall  make  all  things  new."  For  that  reason, 
our  Lord  adds:  '^  Write,  for  these  words  are  true  and  faithful." 
He  is  the  Almighty,  who  could  prevent  him  ?  Has  he  said,  and 
shall  he  not  do  it  (1  :  8, 11).  He  will  give  unto  him  that  is  athirst 
of  the  fountain  of  the  water  of  life  freely  (John  7  :  37-39)  ;  and 
he  that  overcometh  shall  inherit  all  things.  '^  But  the  fearful,  and 
unbelieving,  and  the  abominable,  and  murderers,  and  whoremon- 
gers, and  sorcerers,  and  idolaters,  and  all  liars,  shall  have  their 
part  in  the  lake,  which  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone :  which  is 
the  second  death,"  the  eternal  misery  of  the  soul,  that  chose  rather 
to  serve  the  world  than  the  living  God,  and  delayed  to  be  recon- 
ciled unto  him  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

All  the  rest  of  the  chapter  shows  us  the  character  of  the  true 
Church,  which  shall  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lord,  and  consequently  the  eternal  happiness  of  heaven.  For  ''on 
such  the  second  death  hath  no  power"  (20  :  6)  ;  and,  at  the  final 
judgment,  new  blessings  shall  yet  be  added  to  their  happiness ; 


COMMENTARY.  221 

wants,  infirmities,  and  death,  shall  be  no  move  5  their  mortal  bodies 
shall  be  changed  into  spiritual  and  celestial  bodies ;  there  shall  be 
time  no  longer  :  eternity  is  at  hand. 

V.  9-15.  "And  there  came  unto  me  one  of  the  seven  angels  which  had 
the  seven  vials  full  of  the  seven  last  plagues,  and  talked  vi'ith  me,  saying, 
Come  hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife.  And  he  carried 
me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and  showed  me  that 
great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of  heaven  from  God,  having 
the  glory  of  God  :  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even 
like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal;  and  had  a  wall  great  and  high,  and  had 
twelve  gates,  and  at  the  gates  twelve  angels,  and  names  written  thereon, 
which  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel:  on  the 
east  three  gates;  on  the  north  three  gates;  on  the  soulJ,i  three  gates;  and  on 
the  west  three  gates.  And  the  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve  foundations,  and 
in  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb.  And  he  that  talked 
with  me  had  a  golden  reed  to  measure  the  city,  and  the  gates  thereof,  and 
the  wall  thereof. ' 

Here  is  the  description  of  the  city  of  God,  of  which  glorious 
things  are  spoken  by  the  holy  prophets  :  and  happy  is  the  man,  of 
whom  the  Lord,  when  he  writeth  up  the  people,  shall  say :  "  This 
man  was  born  there"  (Ps.  87  :  o-G).  We  must  not  forget  that 
the  Lord  wrote  upon  the  Reformation  the  name  of  this  glorious 
city,  New  Jerusalem,  that  he  adopted  Protestantism  and  the 
Reformers,  upon  whom  he  wrote  his  new  name  (3  :  12).  We 
shall  see  then,  whether  Protestantism  possesses  all  the  characters 
of  the  Lamb's  wife,  as  described  here,  under  the  allegory  of  a 
great  city,  coming  down  from  God  out  of  heaven,  and  having  the 
glory  of  God. 

'^  Come  hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife." 
This  angel,  who  was  commissioned  to  destroy  the  papal  league, 
knew  which  was  the  true  Church  of  God,  and  v/as  then  able  to 
show  the  prophet  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife,  with  all  the  cha- 
racters by  which  she  is  distinguished  from  any  other.  It  is 
important  for  us  to  know  which  is  the  true  Church  of  the  Lord, 
that  we  may  not  be  deceived,  and  led  astray  by  the  show  and  pre- 
tensions of  specious  sects,  and  by  Satan,  who  is  transformed  into 
an  angel  of  light.  Let  us,  then,  examine  with  attention  the  cha- 
racters of  the  bride  of  the  Lamb,  as  they  are  exposed  in  this 
description. 

"And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  Spirit  (under  a  powerful 
agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  1  :  10 ;  4:2)  to  a  great  and  high 
mountain,"  which  is  the  emblem  of  Jesus  Christ  himself,  of  whom 
it  is  said  that  "  the  stone,  which  smote  the  image  (of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, representing  the  four  great  monarchies,  which  were  to 
succeed  one  another,  Dan.  2  :  ol-45)  upon  his  feet  that  were  of 

19* 


222  COMMENTARY. 

iron  and  clay  (worldly  religion  united  with  tlie  state),  and  brake 
them  to  pieces,  became  a  great  mountain  and  filled  the  whole 
earth."  The  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending  out  of 
heaven  from  God,  is  built  on  this  mountain,  upon  Jesus,  who  is 
the  corner  stone  of  his  Church.  She  is  called  'Hhe  holy  Jeru- 
salem,'' because  Christ  loved  his  Church,  and  gave  himself  for 
her,  that  '^  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  her  with  the  washing  of 
water  by  the  word,  that  he  might  present  her  to  himself  a  glorious 
Church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that 
she  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish."  And  so  God  is  present 
in  the  midst  of  her  walls,  as  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his  people  in 
Jerusalem,  when  they  were  faithful  to  his  law.  His  glory,  in  the 
midst  of  l^r,  sheds  such  torrents  of  light,  that  "  her  light  was,'' 
to  the  eyes  of  the  prophet,  ''like  unto  a  stone  most  precious,  even 
like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as  crystal,"  indicating  that  God,  who  is 
represented  under  that  symbol  (4  :  3),  is  himself  the  light  of  his 
Church. 

"And  had  a  wall  great  and  high."  If  we  examine  closely  all 
that  is  said  about  this  wall,  we  shall  perceive  that  something  else 
than  an  ordinary  wall  is  meant  by  that  expression.  The  Song  of 
Solomon  (8  :  8-10)  will  give  us  the  meaning  of  it :  "  We  have  a 
little  sister  (heathenism),  and  she  hath  no  breasts  (no  word  of 
God)  :  what  shall  we  do  for  our  sister  in  the  day  when  she  shall 
be  spoken  for  ?  If  she  be  a  wall,  we  will  build  upon  her  a  palace 
of  silver :  and  if  she*"be  a  door,  we  will  enclose  her  with  boards  of 
cedar.  I  am  a  wall,  and  my  breasts  like  towers :  then  was  I  in 
his  eyes  as  one  that  found  favor."  The  Jewish  Church  is  the 
city;  for  to  the  Israelites  pertaineth  the  adoption,  and  the  glory, 
and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of 
God,  and  the  promises.  But  our  fathers,  who  were  aliens  from 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  covenants  of 
promise,  having  no  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world,  were 
made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  has  wade  both  one,  and 
has  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition,  that  through  him 
we  both  might  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father  (Eph. 
2  :  11-22).  Now,  the  Jews  having  rejected  Christ,  and  his 
atoning  sacrifice,  it  was  decreed  in  the  eternal  counsel  of  God, 
that  "the  little  sister,"  the  heathens,  should  be  like  a  wall, 
extending  from  the  time  of  the  rejection  of  the  Jews  to  the  second 
coming  of  our  Lord,  and  the  setting  up  of  his  kingdom.  The  two 
breasts  of  the  little  sister,  namely  Christianity  as  it  was  first 
preached  by  the  apostles,  and  professed  by  the  primitive  churches, 
and  Christianity  restored  by  the  Ilcformation,  are  the  towers,  built 
upon  the  wall,  to  preserve  and  protect  the  Church  of  the  living 


COMMENTARY.  223 

God,  during  the  times  of  the  Gentiles.  The  wall  was  '•^  great  and 
high  j"  and  so  the  wrath  of  Satan  and  of  his  agents  was  powerless, 
either  to  pull  it  down,  or  to  pass  over  it.  We  shall  see  in  the 
following  verses  the  nature  and  description  of  the  wall. 

''And  had  twelve  gates. '^  Jesus  is  the  only  way  and  door  to 
enter  into  the  city,  to  become  citizens  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Israel,  and  have  a  part  with  the  chosen  people  of  God.  But  it  is 
said  that  the  wall  had  twelve  gates ;  because  the  same  Mediator 
and  Saviour  was  preached,  as  the  way  and  the  door,  by  his  twelve 
apostles.  And  there  are  three  gates  on  every  side  of  the  holy  city, 
to  show  that  it  is  of  easy  access  to  all  men,  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  through  Jesus  Christ :  ''  and  they  shall  come  from  the  east, 
and  from  the  west,  and  from  the  north,  and  from  the  south,  and 
shall  sit  down  in'the  kingdom  of  God"  (Luke  13  :  29).  ''  And  at 
the  gates  twelve  angels,"  as  were  cherubims  at  the  east  of  the 
garden  of  Eden,  to  prevent  that  there  should  in  no  wise  enter  into 
the  holy  city  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh 
abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie.  "  And  names  written  thereon, 
which  are  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel.'' 
As  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and,  if  we  be 
Christ's,  then  are  we  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the 
promise  (Gal.  3  :  28,  29),  these  names,  written  on  the  gates,  as  on 
monuments  of  glory,  are  not  the  names  of  any  of  the  sons  of 
Abraham,  but  those  of  the  Gentiles,  who  havp  overcome  the  world, 
and  have  gone  forth  unto  Jesus  without  the  camp,  bearing  his 
reproach, 

''And  the  wall  of  .the  city  had  twelve  foundations,  and  in  them 
the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb."  The  Church, 
which  is  entitled  to  the  blessings  of  the  commonwealth  of  Israel, 
is  built  upon  "  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner  stone  ;  for  other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ,  who  was 
delivered  for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for  our  justifica- 
tion" (Eph.  2:19-22  5  Rom.  4:25).  No  one,  then,  can  enter 
into  the  holy  city  but  through  the  obedience  to  the  evangelical 
doctrines  preached  by  the  twelve  apostles,  and  through  the  faith 
which  was  once  delivered  unto  the  saints  :  our  faith  and  conversa- 
tion ought  to  be  stamped  with  the  seal  of  the  apostles,  and  be 
conformed  to  the  plan  of  salvation,  as  it  was  laid  down  in  their 
holy  writings,  and  preached  once  to  the  apostolic  churches. 

We  have  seen  (11  :  1,  2)  that  a  reed,  like  unto  a  rod  or  yard, 
was  given  the  prophet  to  measure  the  temple,  and  the  altar,  and 
them  that  worshipped  therein ; — we  have  said  that  this  reed  repre- 
sents the  word  of  God,  by  which  we  are  taught  the  nature  of  the 


224  COMMENTARY. 

worship,  whicli  God  requires  from  liis  worshippers.  Those  who 
do  not  worship  according  to  that  rule,  are  but  nominal  worshippers, 
standing  out  of  the  temple,  with  the  Oentiles,  and  having  conse- 
quently no  part  with  the  people  of  God.  It  is  with  the  same 
golden  reed,  and  not  according  to  the  judgments  or  traditions  of 
men,  that  the  angel  measures  the  city  with  the  gates  and  the  wall 
thereof,  to  indicate  that  the  law  and  conditions  of  citizenship  must 
be  complied  with  to  be  admitted  into  the  holy  city.  We  have  in 
the  following  verses  all  the  dimensions  of  the  city,  of  its  wall,  and 
gates,  taken  with  the  golden  reed,  with  which  everything  ought  to 
be  measured  and  examined  (John  12  :  48). 

V.  16-21.  "And  the  city  lieth  foursquare,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth,  and  he  measured  the  city  with  the  reed,  twelve  thousand  furlongs. 
The  length  and  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal.  And  he  mea- 
sured the  wall  thereof,  an  hundred  and  for ly  and  four  cubits,  according  to  the 
measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  the  angel.  And  the  building  of  the  wall  of  it 
waso/jusper:  and  the  city  xvas  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass.  And  the 
foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  city  «'«-e  garnished  with  all  manner  of  precious 
stones.  The  first  foundation  icas  jasper;  the  second,  sapphire  ;  the  third,  a 
clialcedony;  the  fourth,  an  emerald;  the  fifth,  sardonyx:  the  sixdi,  sardius ; 
the  seventh,  chrysolite;  the  eighth,  beryl;  the  ninth,  a  topaz;  the  tenth,  a 
chrysophrasus;  the  eleventh,  a  jacinth  ;  the  twelfth,  an  amethyst.  And  the 
twelve  gates  tvere  twelve  pearls;  every  several  gate  was  of  one  pearl:  and 
the  street  of  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent  glass." 

"  And  the  city  lieth  foursquare.'^  Of  all  the  solid  bodies,  those 
which  have  four  equal  sides,  are  the  most  regular,  and  the  most 
difficult  to  be  moved.  It  is  for  that  reason  that' St.  Paul  repre- 
sents the  love  of  God  to  men,  as  a  solid  body,  having  breadth,  and 
length,  and  depth,  and  height  (Eph.  3  :  18)  ;  showing  thus  that  it 
is  unchangeable — that  by  its  "  breadth,"  it  is  extended  even  to  the 
chief  of  sinners — by  its  "  length,"  that  it  is  the  same  in  all  ages — 
by  its  "  depth,"  that  it  is  immovable  and  searches  out  the  most 
secret  mysteries ;  and,  by  its  ^'  height,"  that  God  alone  could 
devise  such  a  plan  of  salvation  to  save  our  fallen  race.  Therefore, 
these  words  :  "  the  city  lieth  foursquare,"  indicate  its  firmness  and 
beauty.  "  And  the  length  is  as  large  as  the  breadth  ;"  that  is,  the 
salvation  foretold  by  the  prophets,  typified  by  sacrifices  and  cere- 
monies, and  preached  to  the  Jewish  Church  by  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
his  apostles,  reaches  equally  every  sinner  and  extends  throughout 
all  ages.  This  Church  or  holy  city,  built  up  among  the  Jews  by 
our  Lord,  measured  with  the  golden  reed,  was  found  to  be 
"  twelve  thousand  furlongs,"  which  make  about  fifteen  hundred 
miles ;  that  is,  was  found  equal  to  the  teachings  of  the  apostles,  so 
that  the  wall  or  the  church  of  the  ({entiles,  built  up  by  the  apostles, 
was  e(pial  to  the  city,  or  church  built  up  by  the  prophets  and  by 


COMMENTARY.  225 

Jesus  Christ,  and  so  the  city  and  the  wall  were  thus  equal  in  all 
their  extent,  in  breadth,  length,  depth,  and  height. 

It  is  evident  that  the  number  "  twelve"  is  taken  for  the  apostolic 
doctrines — that  the  number  "  thousand"  is  added  to  show  the  in- 
crease of  the  members  of  the  Church,  through  the  zeal  of  the 
keepers  of  the  vineyard,  who  have  brought  to  the  Lord  of  the 
vineyard  his  thousand  (Sol.  Song,  8  :  11) ;  and  that  the  word 
''  furlongs"  is  made  use  of  to  preserve  the  allegory  of  the  Church, 
represented  under  the  emblem  of  a  holy  city.  Therefore,  the 
meaning  is  that  the  Church,  built  up  among  the  Jews  by  the  Lord, 
is  the  same  as  that  which  is  described  in  the  writings  of  the 
apostles,  having  the  same  Saviour  and  the  same  promises,  the  same 
plan  of  salvation,  extended  to  every  sinner,  throughout  all  ages, 
and  being  equally  the  work  of  God  :  "  the  length  and  the  breadth 
and  the  height  of  it  are  equal"  to  the  teachings  of  the  apostles ; 
consequently  those  who  believe  and  profess  the  apostolic  religion, 
in  all  its  extent  and  claims,  are  entitled  to  the  blessings  of  the 
chosen  people  of  God. 

"  And  he  measured  the  wall  thereof,  an  hundred  and  forty  and 
four  cubits,  according  to  the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  the 
angel. ^'  The  wall,  we  have  said,  is  the  Church  of  the  Gentiles, 
grafted  in,  among  the  Jews,  into  a  good  olive  tree,  to  preserve 
Christianity,  during  the  time  of  the  blindness  and  unbelief  of  the 
chosen  people  of  God,  to  the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Lord.  This  church,  then,  being  measured  with  the  golden  reed, 
was  '^an  hundred  and  forty  and  four  cubits."  Here  again,  the 
number  "  twelve"  is  taken  for  the  teachings  of  the  twelve  apostles; 
and  this  number,  being  multiplied  by  itself,  makes  one  hundred 
and  forty-four  :  which  expresses  perfectly  the  handing  down  of  the 
same  plan  of  salvation,  from  men  to  men,  throughout  ages,  as  by 
the  multiplication  of  the  same  thing,  or  of  the  same  number  multi- 
plied by  itself,  preserving  alv»'ays  the  same  root,  as  it  is  also  indicated 
by  the  foursquare  of  the  city.  This  Church  of  the  Gentiles,  con- 
sidered either  as  the  primitive  church  founded  by  the  apostles,  or 
reformed  from  popery — which  are  the  two  towers  of  the  wall  (Song 
8  :  10)  or  the  two  witnesses — being  measured,  judged  and  ex- 
amined with  the  golden  reed,  was  found  to  be  conformed  to  the 
teachings  of  the  apostles;  and  consequently  entitled  to  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  the  holy  city  with  the  chosen  people  of  God.  But  her 
faithfulness  was  not  spotless  :  it  was  not  an  angelic  perfection  ;  it  was 
a  human  faithfulness;  therefore  the  works,  labors,  faith,  and  patience 
of  this  church,  are  measured  with  the  measure  of  a  man  ;  that  is,  of 
the  angel,  who  had  put  on  the  human  form.  The  word  ''  cubits" 
indicates  the  works  of  our  hands,  and  shows  that  this  church  had 


226  COMMENTARY. 

been  sanctified,  and  made  meet  for  the  master's  use,  and  prepared 
unto  every  good  work  :  so,  in  her  infirmity  and  weakness,  she  was 
found  faithful,  according  to  the  claims  of  the  gospel. 

'^  And  the  building  of  the  wall  of  it  was  of  jasper."  It  is  said 
(4  :  3)  that  God  "  was  to  look  upon  like  a  jasper  and  a  sardine 
stone ;''  if  we  apply  to  the  building  of  the  wall  the  signification  of 
this  emblem  of  the  glory  of  God,  we  shall  have  for  its  meaning : 
"And  the  members  or  Christians  composing  the  church  of  the 
Gentiles,  throughout  ages,  were  godly  Christians,  having  the  image 
of  the  holy  and  glorious  God.''  The  following  words,  "  and  the 
city  was  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass,"  show  evidently  that  such 
is  the  signification  of  this  emblem ;  for  they  are  but  a  consequence 
of  this  exposition. 

This  is  the  argument  of  the  prophet :  the  Church,  built  up  by 
the  Lord  Jesus,  was  holy,  having  the  plan  of  salvation,  by  which 
even  the  chief  of  sinners  could  be  saved;  the  plan  of  salvation, 
taught  by  the  apostles,  is  conformed  to  that  plan  in  all  its  extent,  and 
can  consequently  form  a  holy  church ;  now,  the  Church  of  the 
Gentiles,  being  examined  by  the  word  of  God,  is  found  to  be  built 
upon  the  same  plan  -,  and  the  members,  who  are  like  the  building 
or  materials  of  the  wall,  are  found,  notwithstanding  human  infirmi- 
ties, to  be  in  Christ,  and  having  in  this  manner  the  express  image 
of  God ;  therefore  "  the  city  was  pure  gold  (righteous  and  spotless), 
like  unto  clear  glass"  (Eph.  5  :  25-27)  ;  and  again  :  "  the  founda- 
tions of  the  wall  of  the  city  were  garnished  with  all  manner  of  pre- 
cious stones,"  that  is,  with  all  manner  of  good  works,  testifying 
that  their  conversion  was  genuine,  and  that  they  were  truly  con- 
cerned for  the  kingdom  and  the  glory  of  God. 

That  such  is  the  meaning  of  these  words,  the  apostle  Paul  gives 
us  an  evident  proof,  when  he  says  that,  as  a  wise  master  builder,  he 
has  laid  the  foundation,  and  that  another  buildeth  thereon — that 
other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ — that  if  any  man  build  upon  this  foundation  gold,  silver, 
precious  stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble,  every  man's  work  shall  be 
made  manifest :  for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  because  it  shall  be 
revealed  by  fire ;  and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's  work  of  what 
sort  it  is  (1  Cor.  3  :  10-15).  Now,  there  is  neither  wood,  nor  hay, 
nor  stubble  garnishing  the  wall  of  the  holy  Jerusalem ;  but  they 
are  garnished  with  precious  stones.  In  the  same  manner,  gold,  as 
the  purest  and  the  most  precious  of  metals,  was,  in  all  the  symbols 
of  the  covenant  of  God  with  men,  as  in  the  golden  censer,  the  ark, 
and  the  mercy  seat,  the  emblem  of  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Therefore,  the  city  which  *'  was  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass," 
shows  that  the  righteousness  and  holiness  of  Jesus  Christ  has  been 


COMMENTARY.  227 

imputed  to  his  Church,  which  was  manifested  in  his  sight  (Heb. 
4  :  12,  13),  so  that  she  is  found  spotless  before  God. 

But,  instead  of  one  foundation,  twelve  are  spoken  of  here,  not 
only  because  each  of  the  twelve  apostles  laid  one  and  the  same 
foundation  in  the  building  of  God  ;  but  because  the  Church  de- 
rived from  the  plan  of  salvation,  taught  by  the  apostles  to  the 
Gentiles,  several  gifts  and  blessings,  which  are  represented  by  as 
many  precious  stones.  The  precious  stones,  representing  the  good 
works  of  the  Christians,  forming  the  Church  of  the  Gentiles, 
garnish  the  foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  city ;  but  these  latter  are 
themselves  the  foundations,  and  represent  the  Author  of  the  plan  of 
salvation,  and  the  gifts  and  blessings,  which  are  derived  from  this 
covenant  of  God  with  men  (Ps.  68  :  18  ;  Eph.  4  :  4-16),  and  by 
which  the  Church  was  made  holy,  and  preserved,  in  her  purity, 
throughout  all  ages. 

"  The  first  foundation  was  jasper,"  indicating  that  God  the 
Father,  represented  under  the  symbol  of  that  precious  stone  (4  :  3), 
is  the  first  foundation,  the  author  and  grand  architect  of  the  plan 
of  salvation,  as  the  sapphire,  which  is  either  a  blue  crystal,  or  a 
bright  one,  called  oriental  ruby,  represents  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
second  foundation ;  for  it  was  "  as  the  appearance  of  a  sapphire 
stone,"  that  the  Prince  of  the  covenant  and  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion, appeared  to  the  prophet  Ezekiel  (1  :  26),  when  he  saw  him 
sitting  on  the  throne.  ^'  The  third  foundation  was  a  chalcedony," 
which  may  represent  the  Holy  Ghost ;  for  chalcedony,  a  precious 
stone,  so  called  from  Chalcedon,  a  town  in  Asia  Minor,  is  a  trans- 
lucent variety  of  quartz,  having  a  whitish  color  and  a  lustre  nearly 
like  wax.  And  it  is  to  be  remarked  that,  as  the  Holy  Ghost,  who 
continues  the  work  of  the  Lord  for  the  salvation  of  men,  produces 
in  believers  faith,  hope,  charity,  and  is  the  dispenser  of  the 
heavenly  gifts,  so  chalcedony  constitutes  many  other  precious 
stones.  When  of  difi"erent  colors  and  arranged  in  stripes,  it  con- 
stitutes ''agate;"  if  the  stripes  are  all  horizontal,  it  is  "onyx." 
Chrysoprase  is  nothing  else  than  green  chalcedony;  cornelian  is 
a  flesh-red,  and  sardius  a  grayish-red  variety.  Chalcedonix  is  a 
variety  of  agate,  in  which  white  and  gray  layers  alternate. 

For  the  precious  stones,  which  form  the  other  foundations,  I 
shall  give  only  their  description,  as  they  are  found  in  Webster's  Dic- 
tionary; and  I  shall  attribute  to  any  of  them  the  corresponding 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  order,  in  which  they  are  presented, 
in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  the  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians, 
without  pretending  to  assert  that  the  prophet  had  any  design  to 
express  anything  else  than  the  excellency  of  these  gifts,  or  that 
any  special  gift  be  designated,  rather  than  any  other,  by  the  nature 


228  COMMENTARY. 

of  the  corresponding;  precious  stones.  One  thing  is  certain  :  the 
prophet  explains,  under  this  emblematic  language,  the  nature  and 
constitution  of  the  Church  of  the  Gentiles,  and  the  gifts  and  bless- 
ings, which  flow  from  the  plan  of  salvation  ;  and  his  description  is 
equivalent  to  that,  which  is  given  by  the  apostle  Paul,  saying, 
"  There  is  one  body,  and  one  spirit,  even  as  ye  are  called  in  one 
hope  of  your  calling ;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God 
and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  you  all. 
But  unto  every  one  of  us  is  given  grace  according  to  the  measure 
of  the  gift  of  Christ.  Wherefore  he  saith.  When  he  ascended  up 
on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  And 
he  gave  some,  apostles ;  and  some,  prophets ;  and  some,  evange- 
lists ',  and  some,  pastors  arid  teachers ;  for  the  perfecting  of  the 
saints,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of 
Christ :  till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the  measure  of 
the  stature  of  the  fulness  of  Christ"  (Eph.  4  :  4-lG).  Here  is, 
now,  the  nature  of  the  precious  stones  of  every  foundation  with  the 
gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  they  are  described  in  the  twelfth  chapter 
of  the  First  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians.  "  The  fourth 
foundation  was  an  emerald,"  a  precious  stone  of  a  green  color,  and 
identical,  except  in  color,  with  the  beryl  :  "  now  there  are  diver- 
sities of  gifts,  but  the  same  spirit.  And  there  are  differences  of 
administrations,  but  the  same  Lord  ;  and  there  are  diversities  of 
operations,  but  it  is  the  same  God  which  worketh  all  in  all.  But 
the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit 
withal.  For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom. '' 
(See  Is.  11  :  2.)  ' 

"  The  fifth,  sardon3'^x,"  from  Sardis,  a  city  of  Asia  Minor,  and 
^' onux,"  a  nail,  so  named  from  the  resemblance  of  its  color  to  the 
flesh  under  the  nail.  Its  color  is  reddish-yellow,  or  orange-colored 
agate,  with  an  undulating  surface  :  "  to  another  the  word  of  know- 
ledge by  the  same  Spirit." 

"  The  sixth,  sardias,"  a  variety  of  chalcedony,  which  has  a  rich 
brownish-red  color.  Between  the  eye  and  the  light,  it  appears  a  deep 
blood-red  :  "to  another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit/'  and  consequently, 
hope  and  charity  as  its  fruits. 

'*The  seventh,  chrysolite."  Its  prevailing  color  is  some  shade 
of  green,  harder  than  glass,  but  les^  hard  than  quartz,  often  trans- 
parent, sometimes  only  translucent :  "  to  another  the  gifts  of  heal- 
ing by  the  same  Spirit." 

"  The  eighth,  beryl,"  which  is  a  mineral  of  great  hardness, 
occurring  in  green  or  bluish-green  six-sided  prisms,  identical  with 


COMMENTARY.  229 

the  emerald,  except  in  color.  Its  color  is  oxide  of  iron  :  ^^  to  an- 
other the  working  of  miracles/' 

"  The  ninth,  a  topaz,"  which  is  generally  of  yellowish  color  and 
pellucid  ;  but  it  is  also  met  with  colorless,  and  of  greenish,  bluish, 
or  brownish  shades,  and  sometimes  massive  and  opaque  :  "  to  an- 
other prophecy." 

^'  The  tenth,  a  chrysoprasus,"  which  is  a  mineral,  a  variety  of  quartz. 
Its  color  is  commonly  apple-green,  and  often  extremely  beautiful ; 
it  is  translucent  or  sometimes  semi-transparent :  "  to  another  dis- 
cerning of  spirits." 

'^  The  eleventh,  a  jacinth,"  a  species  of  pellucid  gem.  Hyacinth 
is  a  red  variety  of  zircon,  which  is  a  mineral  containing  the  earth 
zirconia  and  silica,  occurring  in  square  prisms  with  pyramidal  ter- 
minations of  brown  and  gray  color,  occasionally  red,  and  often  nearly 
transparent :  "  to  another  divers  kinds  of  tongues." 

"  The  twelfth,  an  amethyst,"  a  precious  stone  approaching  the 
color  of  wine ;  a  species  of  quartz  of  a  bluish  violet  color.  The 
oriental  amethyst  is  the  violet-blue  variety  of  transparent  crystal- 
lized corundum,  which  is  a  massive  mineral  of  extreme  hardness, 
consisting  of  nearly  pure  alumina  :  "  to  another  the  interpretation 
of  tongues  •  but  all  these  worketh  that  one  and  the  selfsame  Spirit, 
dividing  to  every  man  severally  as  he  will.  For  as  the  body  is  one, 
and  hath  many  members,  and  all  the  members  of  that  one  body, 
beirfg  many,  are  one  body  :  so  also  is  Christ.  For  by  one  Spirit 
are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free  ;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into 
one  Spirit"  (1  Cor.  12  : 4-31). 

Such  are  the  emblems  of  the  fundamental  gifts  and  graces,  origi- 
nating from  the  plan  of  salvation,  upon  which  stands  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  church  of  the  Grentiles.  And,  as  the  twelve  precious 
stones  of  the  breastplate  of  judgment,  which  the  high  priest  bare 
upon  his  heart,  were  with  the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel,  to 
show  that  he  was,  as  a  public  officer,  acting  with  equal  love  to  all, 
so  the  precious  stones  of  the  twelve  foundations,  representing  the 
gifts  and  graces,  by  which  the  believers  become  entitled  to  the 
glory  and  happiness  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  are  engraved,  as  it 
were,  in  the  foundation,  which  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  high  priest  of 
his  Church,  who  died  with  equal  love  for  every  member  of  his 
ransomed  people  (Is.  54  :  11-17). 

"  And  the  twelve  gates  were  twelve  pearls  ;  every  several  gate 
was  of  one  pearl."  Jesus  is  the  only  door,  to  enter  into  the  holy 
city  ;  but  twelve  are  spoken  of,  because  the  same  Jesus  was  pointed 
out,  as  the  door,  by  the  twelve  apostles.  Every  several  gate  was 
of  one  pearl,  showing  that  there  is  but  one  Lord  and  Mediator  by 

20 


230  '  COMMENTARY. 

whom  we  can  be  permitted  to  enter  in ;  and,  as  the  pearl  is  pre- 
cious, we  ought  to  deny  ourselves  and  forsake  even  our  father  and 
mother,  to  purchase  it;  for  "the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto 
a  merchant  man,  seeking  goodly  pearls  :  who,  when  he  had  found 
one  pearl  of  great  price,  went  and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and  bought 
it"  (Matt.  13  :  45).  Jesus  himself  is  that  pearl  of  great  price  }  all 
the  saints,  who  will  obtain  entrance  into  the  holy  city,  must  enter 
by  the  same  door,  and  buy  the  same  pearl  at  any  price ;  for  there 
is  no  other  door,  no  other  way,  but  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  "  who 
of  Grod  has  been  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and 
sa notification,  and  redemption."  As  he  is  the  way  as  well  as  the 
door,  "  the  street  of  the  city  is  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent 
glass."  It  is  the  strait  gate  and  narrow  way;  but  it  leadeth  unto 
life ;  and  we  must  strive  to  enter  in  at  this  strait  gate  and  by  this 
narrow  way :  though  few  there  be  that  find  it.  Jesus,  then,  the 
only  door  to  enter  into  the  holy  city,  is  represented  by  a  pearl  of 
great  price,  to  show  that  we  ought  to  abandon  all  we  have,  even 
our  life,  to  follow  him.  He  is  also  the  way,  or  the  street  of  the 
city,  which  is  pure  gold,  showing  the  riches  of  his  love,  and  the 
righteousness,  which  is  imputed  to  those  who,  being  reconciled  to 
God  by  the  blood  of  his  cross,  walk  therein,  with  a  holy  conversa- 
tion, to  enter  into  the  heavenly  Jerusalem. 

V.  22-27.  "  And  I  saw  no  temple  therein  :  for  the  Lord  God  Ahiiighty  and 
the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of  it.  And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither 
of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it:  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb 
is  the  light  thereof  And  the  nations  of  them  which  are  saved  shall  walk  in 
the  light  of  it:  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  do  bring  their  glory  and  honor  into 
it.  And  the  gates  of  it  shall  not  be  shut  at  all  by  day:  for  there  shall  be 
no  night  there.  And  they  shall  bring  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  nations  into  it. 
And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatso- 
ever worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie ;  but  they  which  are  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life." 

"  And  I  saw  no  temple  therein."  The  temple,  which,  at  Jeru- 
salem, was  the  symbol  of  the  presence  of  God  in  the  midst  of  his 
people,  was  a  material  temple,  a  shadow  of  things  to  come ;  but 
here  it  is  an  allegoric  description  jof  a  spiritual  city  :  and  there  is 
no  material  temple  to  be  seen  there.  But  yet,  such  is  not  the 
meaning  of  the  prophet :  the  meaning  is,  that  the  holy  city,  being 
trodden  under  foot,  during  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  (11  :  2),  shall 
not  be  allowed  to  have  a  temple,  that  is,  to  enjoy  the  liberty  of 
worship,  as  it  has  been  the  case,  even  in  France,  to  the  revolution 
in  1792,  when  only  the  temple  of  God  was  opened,  "  and  there  was 
seen  in  his  temple  the  ark  of  his  testament"  (11  :  19).  Then  only 
the  liberty  of  worship  was  granted — and  yet  how  false  a  liberty  ! 


COMMENTARY.  2ol 

But,  if  they  are  deprived  of  that  liberty,  "  the  Lord  God  Ahnighty 
and  the  Lamb  are  the  temple  of  it :''  the  rich  pavilion  of  heaven, 
stretched  out  over  their  heads,  is  their  temple,  and  the  Lord  God 
and  the  Lamb  are  with  them,  in  their  closets  and  in  the  wilder- 
ness,— the  Lamb,  to  atone  for  their  sins  and  reconcile  them  unto 
God, — and  the  Lord  God,  to  accept  them  graciously,  as  sons  and 
daughters,  in  the  name  of  his  beloved  Son. 

"  And  the  city  had  no  need  of  the  sun  (of  the  kings  or  emperors), 
neither  of  the  moon  (of  the  established  religion,  or  overruling 
church,  feeding  the  flock  of  God  by  constraint,  as  being  Lords  over 
God's  heritage),  to  shine  in  it/'  to  dictate  them  laws,  to  repress 
wickedness  and  to  prescribe  religious  worship,  and  good  works  ; 
"  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten  it  (teach  them  their  duty,  Heb. 
8  :  11),  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof'  (Ps.  38  :  8  ;  84  :  11 ;  Is. 
30  :  20,  21).  "  And  the  nations  of  them  which  are  saved  (which 
are  no  more  under  the  dark  papal  sway,  as  the  north  of  Germany, 
England,  and  the  United  States)  shall  walk  in  the  light  of  it  (of 
the  true  church  and  of  the  gospel  of  the  Lamb)  ;  and  the  kings  of 
the  earth  (the  pagan  Roman  emperors  and  the  kings  supporters  of 
popery)  do  bring  their  glory  and  honor  into  it;"  that  is,  the  elect  of 
the  Lord,  who  are  the  precious  of  the  earth,  the  honor  and  glory 
of  their  kingdoms  (Heb.  11  :  38).  The  verb  is  in  the  present,  to 
show  that,  even  the  Roman  pagan  emperors  did  already  bring  the 
chosen  people  of  God  into  the  Church,  when  the  prophecy  was 
written. 

^'  And  the  gates  of  it  shall  not  be  shut  at  all  by  day."  The 
prophet  Isaiah  (60  :  11-22)  speaking  of  the  glory  of  the  Church  in 
the  abundant  access  of  the  Gentiles,  says  :  ''  Therefore  thy  gates 
shall  be  open  continually ;  they  shall  not  be  shut  day  nor  night ; 
that  men  may  bring  unto  thee  the  forces  of  the  Gentiles,  and  that 
their  kings  may  be  brought."  The  prophet  says  only  that  they 
shall  not  be  shut  "by  day,"  showing  that  a  continual  day  will  shine 
in  it ;  that  the  Gentiles  shall  be  able  to  enter  into  the  Church,  at 
any  time;  "for  there  shall  be  no  night  there  ;"  and  so  the  gates 
shall  never  be  shut;  the  true  church  shall  be  easily  distinguished 
from  the  spurious,  even  when  she  shall  be  obliged  to  fly  into  the 
wilderness,  to  escape  from  the  persecution  of  Satan.  The  night  is 
taken  for  spiritual  darkness,  idolatry,  strifes,  rioting,  and  drunken- 
ness (Rom.  13  :  12-14),  and  the  day  represents  the  spiritual  light, 
which  shall  shine  continually  in  the  holy  city. 

"  And  they  shall  bring  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  nations  into 
it."  The  prophet  has  said  previously  that  the  nations  of  thcni 
which  are  saved  shall  walk  in  its  light ;  that  the  kings  of  the  earth, 
either  pagan  or  papist,  did  bring  their  glory  and  honor  into  it ; 


282^  *  COMMENTARY. 

now,  lie  draws  a  general  conclusion  that  all  the  godly  men,  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord,  who  are  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  nations, 
either  pagan,  or  papist,  or  Protestant,  shall  be  brought  into  the  holy 
city.  Though  some  of  the  nations  be  saved,  being  set  apart  from 
popery,  and  walking  in  the  light  of  the  gospel,  there  are  but  the 
true  believers,  who  shall  enter  into  it;  for  '^  there  shall  in  no  wise 
enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh 
abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie;  but  they  which  are  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life." 


CHAPTER   XXIL 

THE    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    HOLY    CITY    CONTINUED THE    TREE 

AND    THE    WATERS    OF    LIFE — THE    PROPHECY    APPROVED   AND 
RATIFIED. 

V.  1-5.  "And  he  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal, 
proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb.  In  the  midst  of  the  street 
of  it  and  on  either  side  of  the  river,  ivas  there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare  twelve 
manner  of  fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month:  and  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse: 
but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  in  it.;  and  his  servants  shall 
serve  him :  and  they  shall  see  his  face ;  and  his  name  shall  be  in  their  fore- 
heads. And  there  shall  be  no  night  there;  and  they  need  no  candle,  neither 
light  of  the  sun;  for  the  Lord  God  giveth  them  light:  and  they  shall  reign 
forever  and  ever." 

We  have  here  the  end  of  the  description  of  the  mystic  city,  the 
holy  Jerusalem.  In  the  midst  of  this  new  Eden,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  garden,  planted  by  the  Lamb,  for  his  wife,  there  is  also  a 
tree  of  life,  to  give  immortality  to  its  inhabitants,  and  a  pure  river 
of  water  of  life,  to  water  the  garden ;  it  is  the  paradise  restored. 

"And  he  showed  me  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as 
crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb." 
As  a  thirsty  land  is  refreshed  and  made  fruitful  by  the  dew  of 
heaven,  so  a  thirsty  soul  is  refreshed  and  revived  by  the  word  of 
God.  This  pure  river  of  water  of  life  is  the  emblem  of  the  gospel 
of  our  Lord,  who  was  that  rock,  in  Horcb,  out  of  which  the, waters 
came  that  the  children  of  Israel  might  drink.  Sinners  arc 
invited  to  go  to  Christ,  as  to  the  fountain  opened,  to  wash  away 
their  sins,  through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  whosoever 
drinketh  of  the  water  that  he  will  give  him,  shall  never  thirst;  but 
this  water  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  ever- 
lasting life  (Is.  55  : 1-5  ;  John  4  :  10-14 ;  7  :  37-39). 


COMMENTARY.  233 

The  waters  of  tlie  grace  of  God,  which  flow  from  the  gospel  of 
our  Lord,  and  by  which  we  are  sanctified  through  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  are  pure  "and  clear  as  crystal,"  to  show  that  the 
righteousness  which  they  confer  upon  the  believer  is  perfect,  without 
blemish  and  without  spot ;  that,  in  obeying  the  truth  of  the  gospel 
through  the  Spirit,  they  are  born  again  of  incorruptible  seed,  by 
the  word  of  God,  and  are  made  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priest- 
hood, a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people ;  that  they  should  show  forth 
the  praises  of  him  who  has  called  them  out  of  darkness  into  his 
marvellous  light.  These  waters  of  regeneration  proceed  "  out  of 
the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  ;"  because,  in  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion, the  grace,  which  reinstates  the  sinner,  does  not  proceed  out  of 
himself,  neither  out  of  his  merits,  nor  of  his  works ;  but  from  God 
the  Father,  as  the  source  of  all  good — from  the  Son,  as  our 
Mediator  and  Redeemer — and  from  the  Holy  Ghost,  who,  by  his 
divine  agency,  enlightens  and  sanctifies  us.  The  Father  elected  us 
from  eternity,  according  to  his  foreknowledge ;  the  Son  redeemed 
and  cleansed  us  from  our  iniquities,  and  imputed  us  his  righteous- 
ness :  and  the  Holy  Ghost  sanctifies  us  by  subjecting  us  unto  the 
obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  (1  Peter  1  : 
2,  3).  In  this  manner,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam,  banished, 
for  sin,  out  of  the  garden  of  Eden,  receive  new  titles  to  eternal 
life,  through  this  plan  of  salvation,  in  which  the  three  persons  of 
the  Most  Holy  Trinity  have  distinct  operations,  but  so  united  to- 
gether that  no  man  could  be  saved,  were  he  not  elected  by  the 
Father,  redeemed  by  the  Son,  and  led  to  the  gospel  and  sanctified 
by  the  powerful  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  (47  :  1-12)  represents  the  preaching  and 
progress  of  the  gospel,  under  the  same  emblem  of  waters  which 
issued  out  from  under  the  threshold  of  the  temple  of  Jerusalem, 
and  which  were  rising  from  distance  to  distance,  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  became  a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over.  At  the 
bank  of  the  river  were  very  many  trees  on  the  one  side  and  on  the 
other ;  and  these  waters,  which  issued  out  towards  the  east  country, 
went  down  into  the  desert  and  into  the  sea  (the  dead  sea,  the 
emblem  of  pagan  nations) ;  and  being  brought  forth  into  the  sea, 
"the  waters,"  he  says,  "shall  be  healed.  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  everything  that  liveth,  which  moveth,  whithersoever  the 
rivers  shall  come,  shall  live.  But  the  miry  places  thereof  and  the 
marshes  thereof  shall  not  be  healed;  they  shall  be  given  to  salt;" 
that  is,  they  shall  be  made,  as  the  wife  of  Lot,  an  example  unto 
those  that  thereafter  should  live  ungodly  ;  and  shall  be  as  monuments 
or  pillars,  upon  which  the  ungodly  shall  learn  wisdom,  of  which 
salt  is  the  emblem.     Therefore,  the  waters  are  the  emblem  of  the 

20* 


234  COMMENTARY. 

gospel  preached  to  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  to  form  a  holy 
nation,  a  peculiar  people  unto  the  Lord,  and  zealous  unto  good 
works. 

''  In  the  midst  of  the  street  of  it,  and  on  either  side  of  the 
river,  was  there  the  tree  of  life,  which  bare  twelve  manner  of 
fruits,  and  yielded  her  fruit  every  month  :  and  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations."  The  street  of  the  city, 
which  is  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent  glass,  being  the  emblem 
of  Jesus  Christ,  our  righteousness,  and  the  way  to  the  holy  city, 
the  tree  of  life  is  consequently  planted  and  rooted  in  him,  and  in 
his  righteousness,  figured  by  the  gold  of  the  street,  as  in  a  fruitful 
ground,  and  is,  then,  the  emblem  of  the  new  birth  and  regene- 
ration of  those  who  are  watered  by  the  living  waters  of  the  word 
of  God  (Gen.  3  :  22-24 ;  1  Cor.  15  :  22).  Christians  are  them- 
selves called  ''trees  of  righteousness"  (9:4;  Jer.  11  :  19),  because 
they  have  been  grafted  into  this  good  olive  tree  by  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  this  tree  of  life  is  ''  on  either  side  of  the  river," 
showing  that  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  brings  life  and  immor- 
tality not  only  in  Christian  lands,  but  even  in  the  surrounding 
countries,  as  it  may  be  clearly  seen  that  popery  is  not  as 
hideous  and  pernicious  in  Protestant  countries  as  in  Spain,  Italy, 
and  even  in  France,  where  the  sound  of  the  gospel  is  scarcely 
heard.  As  the  tree  of  life  has  been  planted  by  the  twelve  apostles, 
it  is  said  that  it  "  bare  twelve  manner  of  fruits/'  and  that  it 
"yielded  her  fruit  every  month,"  to  indicate  that  the  wants  of  the 
elect  were  abundantly  supplied.  These  twelve  manner  of  fruits 
may  be  also  the  principal  graces  and  virtues  of  those  who  have  put 
on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and 
true  holiness;  but  they  are  rather  the  diflPerent  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  (1  Cor.  12  :  27-31). 

"  And  the  leaves  of  the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations." 
The  leaves  are  the  emblems  of  the  beauty  and  prosperity  of  the 
Church  of  God  and  of  her  members  renewed  by  the  word  and  the 
Spirit  of  God  (Ps.  1:3);  and,  as  the  leaves  of  many  trees  are  used 
for  medicine,  the  prophet  employs  this  figure  to  indicate  that  the 
beauty  and  prosperity  which  shall  adorn  this  tree  of  life  and 
immortality,  shall  be  instrumental  to  the  conversion  of  the  nations. 
The  nations  cannot  taste  the  sweet  fruits  of  the  Gospel ;  for,  except 
a  man  be  born  again,  he  can  neither  sqc  the  kingdom  of  God,  nor 
understand  the  peace,  joy,  and  happiness,  which  are  experienced 
by  the  children  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  they  can  witness  the  eminent 
virtues  of  Christians,  their  peace  and  happiness,  and  see  their  good 
works,  their  charity,  and  their  zeal  in  the  missionary  work,  for  the 
setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God  :  which  things  are,  as  it  were,  the 


COMMENTARY.  235 

external  glor}'  and  ornament  of  the  tree  of  life.  Therefore,  the 
meaning  is  that  the  glory  of  those,  who  shall  be  grafted  in  the  tree 
of  life  and  entitled  to  eat  its  fruits  of  life,  shall  be  displayed  in 
sending  the  Gospel  to  the  nations  :  and  the  nations  shall  go  and 
say  :  ''  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to 
the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways, 
and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths.'' 

''And  there  shall  be  no  more  curse  (no  papal  anathema,  no 
bloody  crusade,  when  the  kingdom  shall  be  given  to  the  saints  of 
the  Most  High) ;  but  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be 
in  it }  and  his  seryants  shall  serve  him  (with  liberty)  :  and  they 
shall  see  his  face;  and  his  name  shall  be  in  their  foreheads," 
showing  by  their  works  as  well  as  by  their  profession  that  they  are 
the  Lord's.  "And  there  shall  be  no  night  there"  (no  persecution, 
no  wickedness,  no  hypocrisy,  no  spiritual  darkness;  Rom.  13  :  12); 
''and  they  need  no  candle,"  no  gospel  minister,  to  say  to  his 
brother,  "  Know  the  Lord  :"  for  all  shall  know  him,  from  the  least 
to  the  greatest  (Heb.  8  :  10-13  ;  1  John  2:27);  "  neither  light  of 
the  sun  (neither  ordinances  of  kings  to  govern  them)  ;  for  the  Lord 
God  giveth  them  light  (is  their  lawgiver,  who  teaches  them  their 
duty):  and  they  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever;"  for  it  is  their 
Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  them  the  kingdom  (Luke  12  :  32), 
when  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  shall  be  fulfilled. 

Such  is  the  explanation  of  this  allegorical  description  of  the  true 
Church  of  God, — not  of  the  triumphant  church  in  heaven,  but  of 
the  militant  church,  trodden  under  foot  of  the  .Gentiles  (11  :  2), 
and  which  shall  be  presented  as  the  bride  of  the  Lamb,  at  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  (19  :  7-9),  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the  king- 
dom. She  is  called  "New  Jerusalem,"  not  because  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  was  the  type  of  Christianity,— for  the  type  and  the  anti- 
type represent  one  and  the  same  thing, — but  because  Christianity, 
as  taught  by  the  apostles,  having  been  defiled  and  destroyed  by 
papal  delusions,  the  Lord  spewed  out  of  his  mouth  this  spurious 
Christianity,  renounced  this  first  name,  taken  from  his  own,  and 
adopted  the  Reformation,  upon  which  he  wrote  the  name  of  his 
God,  the  name  of  "  New  Jerusalem,"  and  his  own  new  name,  and 
caused  it  to  be  called  by  his  new  name  "Protestantism"  (3  :  12), 
whose  doctrines,  as  taught  by  the  Reformers,  and  which  are  the 
word  of  God,  are  clearly  characterized  in  the  allegorical  descrip- 
tion which  we  have  just  examined.  If  this  new  name  of  the  Lord 
is  not  "Protestant,"  tell  me  what  it  is?  The  Church  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, represented  by  "the  wall  of  the  city,"  has  two  breasts,  or 
churches,  called  the  two  witnesses,  which  ought  to  be  the  towers 
(Song  8  :  10)  to  protect   Christianity,   during  the   times  of  the 


236  ^  COMMENTARY. 

Grentilcs:  tlie  first  is  the  primitive  church,  founded  by  the  apostles; 
and  the  second,  the  New  Jerusalem,  which  was  founded  by  the 
lleformers,  who  were  made  "  pillars"  in  the  temple  of  God,  by  the 
Lord  of  the  temple  (3  :  12). 

V.  G-9.  "And  he  said  unto  me,  These  sayings  arc  faithful  and  true:  and 
the  Lord  God  of  the  holy  prophets  sent  his  angel  to  show  unto  his  servants 
the  things  which  must  shortly  be  done.  Behold,  I  come  quickly  :  blessed  is 
he  that  keepeth  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book.  Antl  I  John  saw 
these  things,  and  heard  them.  And  when  I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down 
to  worship  before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed  me  these  things. 
Then  saith  he  unto  me,  See  thou  do  it  not:  ior  I  am  thy  fellow-servant,  and 
of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the  sayings  of  this 
book:  worship  God." 

We  have  now  the  conclusion  of  the  prophecy.  As  in  a  nota- 
rial deed,  the  contract  is  signed  by  the  stipulating  parties,  by  the 
witnesses,  and  by  the  notary,  who  approves  and  ratifies  everything 
contained  in  the  contract,  so  the  prophecy  is,  as  it  were,  signed  by 
turns,  by  the  angel,  as  the  delegate  or  ambassador,  sent  by  the 
Lord  Jesus,  to  reveal  the  things  which  are  written  therein ; — by 
the  prophet,  to  whom  the  Kevelation  was  made,  and  by  whom  it 
has  been  written  ; — by  Jesus  Christ,  who  approves  and  ratifies  the 
things  written  by  his  prophet ; — and  by  the  Spirit  and  the  bride, 
as  the  witnesses,  who  testify  of  the  truth  of  the  prophecy,  and 
invite  every  one  to  come,  and  take  the  water  of  life  freely. 

The  angel,  having  shown  the  prophet  the  holy  city  and  the 
future  blessings  of  its  citizens,  says  unto  him  that  'Hhese  sayings 
are  faithful  and  true,"  and  that  it  is  the  Lord  God,  who  sent  his 
angel  (1  :  1)  to  show  his  servants  the  things  which  must  shortly 
be  done.  The  Lord  approves  these  words  of  the  angel,  and  says, 
"  Behold,  I  come  quickly  :  blessed  is  he  that  keepeth  the  sayings 
of  the  prophecy  of  this  book  :"  blessed  is  he  that  shall  not  be 
defiled  by  the  devilish  doctrines  of  popery,  that  shall  be  fliithful 
unto  death,  and  prepared  for  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb, 
when  his  enemies  shall  be  made  his  footstool ;  for  it  is  true  that  I 
have  sent  my  angel  to  show  these  things  unto  my  servant  and 
prophet. 

"  And  I  John  saw  these  things  and  heard  them."  Here  is  the 
signature  of  the  prophet,  who  is  like  the  notary,  and  testifies  of 
what  he  has  seen  and  heard  (1  :  1-4,  9).  He  is  John,  known  to 
the  churches,  as  the  faithful  and  beloved  disciple  of  the  Lord; 
therefore,  his  testimony  may  be  relied  upon  ;  for  he  is  not  a  forger 
of  false  visions  to  deceive  the  churches  of  his  Lord.  "  And  when 
I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to  worship  before  the  feet  of  the 
angel  which  showed  me  these  things."     It  is  not,  as  it  is  supposed 


COMMENTARY.  237 

by  Scott,  a  new  fall  of  tlie  propliet  to  worship  the  angel ;  but  it  is 
the  same  which  we  have  seen  (19  :  10) ;  and  it  is  mentioned  here 
as  a  new  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  wonderful  vision,  which  he  has 
just  described. 

Nevertheless,  let  us  not  pass  without  notice,  the  words  of  the 
angel,  "  See  thou  do  it  not :  for  I  am.  thy  fellow-servant,  and  of 
thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them  which  keep  the  sayings 
of  this  book  :  worship  God.''  If  an  angel,  the  most  excellent  of 
creatures,  rebukes  thus  the  least  appearance  of  worship,  when  he  in 
present,  what  should  we  think  of  the  worship  of  absent  angels,  of 
the  saints,  and  even  of  dumb  images  of  wood,  and  stone  ?  Could 
the  apostles  Peter  and  Paul,  and  Mary,  whose  worship  has  been 
extolled  above  that  of  Jesus,  see  men  kneeling  down  before  them- 
selves, as  they  do  before  their  insensible  images,  would  they 
not  say,  as  the  angel,  ''See  thou  do  it  not :  worship  God  ?"  "Stand 
up,"  says  Peter  to  Cornelius,  whom  he  took  up,  "I  myself  also  am 
a  man''  (Acts  10  :  26).  ''  Why  do  ye  these  things,"  Paul  says  to 
the  inhabitants  of  Lystra ;  "  we  also  are  men  of  like  passions  with 
you?"  (Acts  14  :  15.)  Now,  if  it  is  a  sin,  and  idolatrous  worship, 
to  kneel  before  the  angels  and  saints  of  the  Lord,  what  shall  we 
say  of  the  worship  of  relics,  of  idols  of  brass,  of  stone,  and  wood  ? 
"  Woe  unto  him  that  saith  to  the  wood.  Awake  ;  to  the  dumb  stone, 
Arise,  it  shall  teach  !"  (Hab.  2  :  19.     See  Is.  44  :  9-20.) 

It*  is  an  illusion  of  the  devil  to  believe  that  the  succor  of  the 
saints  is  wanted  to  approach  the  throne  of  God,  as  it  is  necessary 
that  we  should  be  introduced  to  the  throne  of  the  kings  of  the 
earth  by  their  ministers.  If  we  are  unworthy,  by  ourselves,  to 
approach  the  throne  of  God,  we  have  a  powerful  Mediator,  his 
beloved  Son,  who  being  God  and  man,  unites  heaven  and  earth 
together ;  and  by  whom  we  can  "  come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of 
grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of 
need.  Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other  :  for  there  is  none 
other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be 
saved.  For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus"  (Acts  4  :  12  j  1  Tim.  2:5);  to  invoke 
other  mediators  than  Jesus,  is  to  revolt  against  the  government  of 
God,  and  to  say  with  the  Jews,  his  enemies,  "  Away  with  this  man, 
and  release  unto  us  Barabbas  I" 

Another  illusion  of  the  devil  is  to  suppose  that  the  Jews  only 
were  concerned  by  the  laws  forbidding  the  worship  of  images ;  be- 
cause they  were  prone  to  idolatry.  The  proof  that  men  are  always 
and  everywhere  the  same  is,  that  notwithstanding  the  same  laws, 
which  have  not  been  revoked,  and  the  dreadful  calamities,  by  which 
the  Jewish  people  have  been  visited  for  the  same  transgression,  we 


238  COMMENTARY. 

see  everywhere  temples  built  to  the  saints,  and  costly  chapels,  in 
which  stands  a  stock  of  a  tree,  or  a  block  of  stone,  to  which  a  work- 
man has  given  a  human  form,  and  before  which,  even  in  our  days, 
men  are  kneeling  down  and  say,  "  Deliver  me  -,  for  thou  art  my 
God  !"  There  can  be  no  comparison  between  this  idolatrous  worship 
of  relics  and  of  graven  images,  and  the  picture  of  a  beloved  father, 
mother,  wife,  or  husband ;  for  to  the  one  we  render  a  religious 
worship,  which  is  an  abomination  before  God ;  and  to  the  others 
we  attribute  no  virtue,  no  religious  power  :  they  recall  only  to  our 
minds  the  features  of  a  person,  which  was  dear  to  us  in  many  re- 
spects :  there  is  no  religious  feelings  there,  no  worship ;  whilst  it 
has  been  decreed,  concerning  molten  images,  that  there  were  but 
the  damnable  heretics  who  said  that  they  should  not  be  worshipped 
as  their  originals. 

V.  10-15.  "And  he  saith  unto  me,  Seal  not  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy 
of  this  book:  for  the  time  is  at  hand.  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust 
still :  and  he  which  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still :  and  he  that  is  righteous, 
let  him  be  righteous  still:  and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still.  And, 
behold,  I  come  quickly:  and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give  every  man 
according  as  his  work  shall  be.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and 
the  end,  the  first  and  the  last.  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments, 
that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in  through  the 
gates  of  the  city.  For  without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers,  and  whoremongers, 
and  murderers,  and  idolaters,  and  whosoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie." 

The  prophet  goes  on  relating  the  words  of  the  angel,  who  told 
him,  '^  Seal  not  the  sayings  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book  ;"  that  is, 
keep  them  not  secret,  publish  them,  in  order  that  the  events  may 
be  compared  with  the  prophecy,  and  that  the  fulfilment,  which  is 
at  hand,  may  render  more  guilty  the  unjust  man  who  continues  to 
be  unjust  still,  and  more  filthy,  the  man  who  persists  in  his  filthi- 
ness  ;  that  he  who  is  righteous  may  improve  these  events  to  persist 
in  his  righteousness,  and  he  that  is  holy,  in  his  holiness.  Tlie  Lord 
approving  these  words  of  the  angel,  says,  ''  Behold,  I  come  quickly; 
and  my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give  every  man  according  as  his  work 
shall  be.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end,  the 
first  and  the  last"  (1  :  8-11). 

Jesus  has  his  reward  with  him  to  give  every  man  according  to 
his  works,  either  to  chastise  the  wicked,  or  to  recompense  the  just 
and  holy  ;  not  to  save  them  by  their  works ;  for  then,  he  should 
no  longer  be  their  Saviour.  But  (Jod,  who  forgives  our  sins,  and 
invites  us  to  take  the  waters  of  life  freely,  by  our  faith  in  the  name 
of  his  Son,  will  still  reward  the  good  works  which  we  accomplish, 
not  to  gain  heaven,  which  God  does  not  sell,  and  which  we  could 
by  no  means  buy ;  but  because,  being  saved  by  gracC;  we  delight  in 


COMMENTARY.  239 

doing  tlie  works  wliich  are  pleasing  in  liis  sight,  and  whicli  are  the 
fruits  of  our  faith  and  the  evidence  of  our  Christian  life.  As  the 
tree  is  judged  by  its  fruits,  so  Christians  are  judged  by  their  works 
(Gal.  5  :  16-26) ;  for,  unless  they  be  trees  of  righteousness,  the 
planting  of  the  Lord,  grafted,  by  faith,  in  the  tree  of  life,  they  are 
unable  to  say,  with  faith,  "  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
living  God.^' 

"  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments,  that  they  may 
have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in  through  the  gates 
into  the  city.^'  There  is  a  close  connection  between  our  faith  and 
our  works ;  for  faith  without  works  is  dead  (James  2  :  20).  There- 
fore Paul  keeps  under  his  body,  and  brings  it  into  subjection,  lest 
that  by  any  means,  when  he  has  preached  to  others,  he  should  be 
himself  a  castaway  (1  Cor.  9  :  27).  Faith  ought  to  be,  in  our  hearts 
and  understandings,  as  a  precious  ointment,  removing  the  fetid 
odor  of  vice  and  sin,  and  exerting  our  faculties  to  work  for  the 
glory  of  God,  and  to  garnish  the  foundations  of  the  plan  of  our 
salvation  with  all  manner  of  precious  stones.  The  tree  of  life  is 
planted  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  it  grows  wherever  the  gospel  is 
preached,  and  on  either  side  of  the  river  of  the  holy  waters  of  re- 
generation. Men,  grafted  in  that  tree  of  life,  are  called  "  trees  of 
righteousness  ;"  and  if  they  be  barren  and  unfruitful  in  the  know- 
ledge of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they,  are  blind  and  cannot  see  afar 
oiF,  dnd  have  forgotten  that  they  were  purged  from  their  old  sins  : 
they  have  no  right  to  the  tree  of  life  ;  for  the  Lord  has  said,  '^  Every 
branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he  (the  Father  who  is  the  hus- 
bandman) taketh  away :  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he 
purgeth  it,  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit"  (John  15  :  2—8). 
Therefore  the  fruitful  branches  of  the  tree  or  of  the  vine,  those 
who  do  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  shall  have  right  of  citizen- 
ship to  enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  holy  city,  and  to  enjoy  the 
happy  immortality.  Here  is  true  happiness,  unknown  to  the  world, 
and  even  to  philosophers,  who  place  happiness,  not  in  the  things  in 
which  the  soul  is  concerned,  but  in  the  riches  and  in  the  gross 
enjoyments  of  the  things  of  this  life.  The  soul  ?  It  is  man. 
Therefore,  any  happiness,  in  which  the  soul  is  not  concerned,  is 
but  imaginary,  and  a  Satanic  delusion.  Blessed,  then,  are  they 
alone  that  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  to  enter  into  the  cityj 
"■  For  without  are  dogs  (impudent),  and  sorcerers,  and  whore- 
mongers, and  murderers,  and  idolaters,  and  whosoever  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie." 

V.  16-17.  "I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things 
in  the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and 
morning  star.     And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come.     And  let  him  that 


240  COMMENTARY. 

heareth  say,  Come.    And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come.     And  whosoever  will, 
let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

The  Lord  Jesus  acknowledges  having  delegated  his  angel  to  de- 
liver this  prophecy  to  his  servant  John,  and  by  him,  to  the  seven 
churches  of  Asia.  The  angel  was  then  commissioned  by  the  Lord, 
and  acted  in  his  name ;  and  so,  the  things  contained  in  the  pro- 
phecy are  approved  and  ratified  by  Jesus,  who  styles  himself,  here, 
*^  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the  bright  and  morning 
star."  As  God,  he  is  the  root,  which  brought  forth  David ;  and, 
as  man,  he  was  the  son  of  David,  the  Branch  which  grew  out  of 
the  roots  of  Jesse  (Is.  11:1).  He  is  also  the  bright  star,  which 
was  to  come  out  of  Jacob,  and  have  dominion  over  his  enemies 
(Numb.  24  :  17);  and,  as  the  morning  star,  shining  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  foretells  the  coming  of  the  sun,  so  Jesus  ap- 
peared, at  his  birth,  not  as  the  sun,  but  as  a  bright  star,  in  the 
darkness  of  the  world ;  and,  when  the  darkness  ,of  paganism 
shall  be  dispelled,  at  his  second  coming,  this  bright  star,  in  his 
morning,  shall  shine  as  the  sun — the  sun  of  righteousness — in 
the  midst  of  the  Holy  City,  giving  peace,  and  joy,  and  glory, 
to  his  people.  Again :  when  this  shepherd  and  bishop  of  our  souls, 
is  first  manifested  in  the  heart  of  a  converted  sinner,  his  light  is 
surrounded  with  darkness,  as  the  light  of  the  star;  "  But  the  path 
of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day"  (Prov.  4  :  18);  and  that  is  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
who  removes  our  spiritual  darkness,  more  and  more,  until  we  are, 
as  it  were,  immerged  into  an  ocean  of  lights. 

The  Spirit,  who  is  the  true  witness,  and  the  bride,  who  has  ex- 
perienced the  power  and  goodness  of  the  Lord,  say  to  all  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  men  :  "Come;"  be  partakers  of  the  blessings  of 
the  gospel,  and  enjoy  the  happiness  of  the  kingdom  of  the  Son  of 
David;  for  we  testify  that  Jesus  is  truly  the  star  of  Jacob,  and  the 
son  of  David,  who  is  to  reign  on  the  throne  of  his  father,  and  who 
shall  redeem  his  people  from  their  enemies.  Let  every  one  that 
bcareth  (who  understands  that  he  is  truly  the  Holy  One  of  Israel) 
say:  "Come,"  parents;  come,  friends  and  neighbors!  Come, 
"  eyei-y  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath 
no  money;  come  ye,  buy,  and  eat;  yea,  come,  .buy  wine  and  milk, 
without  money  and  without  price,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself 
in  fatness ;  for  the  Lord  has  made  an  everlasting  covenant  with 
you,  even  the  sure  mercies  of  David"  (Is.  55  :  1-5). 

Sinners  are,  then,  invited  "  to  take  the  water  of  life  freely."  Let 
no  one  dare  to  change  the  condition  of  salvation,  or  to  advocate  any 
restriction,  when  there  is  none.  God  does  not  write  as  men  do  : 
We  are  invited  to  search  the  Scriptures;  and  we  must  draw  the 


COMMENTARY.  241 

just  consequences  wliich  follow  from  the  word  of  God.  Our  Lord 
is  a  perfect  Redeemer ;  he  has  accomplished  his  work  of  redemp- 
tion. Therefore,  the  forgiveness  of  sins  does  not  proceed  from 
works,  which  we  have  done;  for  one  must  be  born  spiritually, 
before  being  enabled  to  act  and  live  spiritually ;  but  it  proceeds 
entirely  from  the  perfect  work  of  our  redemption,  accomplished  by 
the  Son,  and  accepted  by  God  the  Father;  "For  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  son,  that  whosoever  belie veth 
in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 

V.  18-21.  "For  I  testify  unto  every  man,  that  heareth  the  words  of  the 
prophecy  of  this  book,  If  any  man  shall  add  imto  these  things,  God  shall 
add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book:  and  if  any  man  shall 
take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away 
his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from  the  things 
which  are  written  in  this  book.  He  that  testifieth  these  things  saith.  Surely 
I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus.  The  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.     Amen."' 

When  God  has  spoken,  we  must  listen  and  adore  in  silence.  It 
is  a  great  temerity  either  to  add  to,  or  to  take  anything  away  from 
his  word.  Woe  to  the  false  doctors,  who  make  void  the  words  of 
God,  to  teach  their  own  inventions,  after  the  traditions  of  men,  and 
the  rudiments  of  the  world,  and  not  after  Christ  (Col.  2  :  8-23)  : 
''God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book;" 
for  this  is  the  sin  of  the  great  Antichrist,  and  of  his  agents.  He 
has  substituted  for  the  word  of  God,  the  dreams  and  inventions  of 
his  monks.  He  has  invented  sacraments  for  every  important  affair 
of  life,  in  order  that  men  should  be  as  slaves  under  his  dominion, 
— he  has  added  six  commands,  to  the  commandments  of  God, — 
ordered  fasts  and  abstinence,  where  God  required  nothing, — pre- 
scribed a  religious  worship  to  the  saints, — enclosed  their  relics  in 
shrines,  enriched  with  gold  and  precious  stones,  and  instituted  days 
of  rest,  and  feast-days,  which  are  celebrated  with  more  honor  than 
the  sabbaths  and  feasts  of  the  Lord.  And,  though  these  inventions 
be  criminal,  for  having  been  invented  by  the  devil  of  ambition  and 
pride,  they  are  yet  more  so,  because  they  take  out  of  our  sight 
God's  commands,  ordinances,  sacraments,  and  sabbaths,  and  because 
the  Holy  One,  Jesus,  the  true  Mediator,  is  unknown  and  lost  from 
our  sight,  among  these  millions  of  imaginary  mediators. 

On  the  other  side,  the  infidel,  with  the  same  right,  rejects  the 
miracles,  because  he  has  never  seen  any,  and  the  mysteries,  because 
they  cannot  be  explained  by  reason  ;  and  he  maintains  that,  if  we 
do  good,  it  matters  not  what  we  believe.  He  does  not  know  that, 
after  the  fall  of  man,  and  the  curse  of  God,  nothing  within  our 
power,  and  within  the  elements  of  the  first  creation,  could  rescue 

21 


242  COMMENTARY. 

our  fallen  race  from  its  ruins;  consequently  that  Christianity,  which 
is  a  religion  of  mercy,  must  of  necessity  be  supernatural,  and  con- 
sistent with  the  holy  character  of  a  just  and  merciful  God,  and  can 
neither  have  its  foundation  on  the  natural  law,  nor  be  explained 
by  the  reason  of  the  natural  man,  who  has  no  right  to  inter- 
fere with  the  conditions,  or  the  means,  by  which  mankind  may 
still  be  entitled  to  the  divine  favor.  Has  God  spoken  or  not 
by  his  prophets  ?  Has  he  promised,  and  has  he  sent  his  Son  to  the 
world  ?  These  questions  are  within  the  power  and  criterion  of 
reason.  God  himself  invites  us  to  search  the  Scriptures,  to  be 
always  ready  to  give  an  account  of  our  faith ;  and  it  would  be,  for 
us,  mere  credulity  and  superstition,  were  we  to  embrace,  without 
examination,  a  religion  whose  evidence  we  should  not  have  acknow- 
ledged. But  when,  after  examination,  we  find  that  all  the  edifice 
of  Christian  faith  has  been  delineated,  and  built  up  by  the  hand  of 
the  Almighty,  we  must  stop  before  its  unsearchable  mysteries,  and 
adore  its  divine  Architect.  We  are  not  permitted  to  lay  rashly  our 
hand  upon  the  work  of  his  hands.  Therefore,  "  If  any  man  shall 
add  unto  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are 
written  in  this  book  ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  away  from  the 
words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away  his  part 
out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from  the  things 
which  are  written  in  this  book"  (I)eut.  4  :  2 ;  Prov.  30  :  5,  6; 
Matt.  15:3-14);  for  he  rejects  the  mysterious  work  of  our 
Kedeemer ;  he  chooses  rather  to  remain  in  the  natural  state  of  the 
lost  sons  of  Adam,  and  consequently,  he  can  in  no  wise  have  his 
portion  among  the  redeemed  people  of  the  Lord. 

These  words  of  the  prophet  are  still  testified  and  ratified  by  the 
Lord,  saying:  ''Surely  I  come  quickly;"  and  the  prophet  adds: 
*' Amen.  Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus  :"  It  is  the  desire  and  expec- 
tation of  thy  ransomed  people  :  Come,  make  no  tarrying. 

The  prophecy  closes  with  the  apostolic  blessing :  "  The  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all."  It  is  given  in  the  name 
of  Jesus;  because  he  is  the  seed  of  Abraham,  in  which  shall  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,  and  because  he  is  the  channel 
through  which  we  may  obtain  mercy  and  peace  with  God.  For 
being  made  perfect,  he  became  the  author  of  eternal  salvation  unto 
all  them  that  obey  him;  and  he  is  able  to  save  them  to  the  utter- 
most, that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  them.  Let  us  look  unto  him,  and  be  saved;  for  he 
is  our  God  and  Redeemer,  and  the  Lord  our  righteousness.  He 
will  surely  come  quickly.  Let  us  watch,  therefore,  that  we  may  be 
found  having  the  wedding  garment  to  meet  him  at  his  coming,  and 
go  in  with  him  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb.  He  is  at  our 
door  and  knocks.     Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord, — make  bis 


COMMENTARY.  243 

paths  straight.  Come  out  of  Babylon.  Return,  every  one  from  your 
wicked  way,  for,  ''  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments, 
that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and  may  enter  in 
through  the  gates  into  the  city.  For  without  are  dogs,  and  sor- 
cerers, and  whoremongers,  and  murderers,  and  idolaters,  and  who- 
soever loveth  and  maketh  a  lie."  But  in  the  Lord,  shall  all  the 
seed  of  Israel  be  justified,  and  shall  glory.  Let  us,  then,  say  with 
the  Spirit  and  the  bride,  "  Come;"  and  with  the  prophet,  "Amen. 
Even  so,  come,  Lord  Jesus." 


CONCLUSION. 

"  If  our  gospel  be  hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost."' — 2  Col.  4:3. 

In  casting  a  glance  upon  the  historical  events,  foretold  under 
the  emblematic  language  of  this  prophecy,  we  find  that,  under  the 
symbols  of  the  seven  letters  to  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  Minor, 
Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia,  and 
Laodicea,  a  general  picture  of  the  state  of  the  Church  has  been 
drawn,  as  upon  a  large  canvas,  upon  which  ail  the  events  were 
to  be  represented    (chapter  1,  2,  3). 

TJie  prophet,  having  given  us  the  synopsis  of  seven  diff"erent 
ages,  or  states  of  the  Church,  introduced  us  into  the  court  of  the 
great  king  of  heaven  and  earth,  surrounded  by  millions  of  saints 
and  angels,  who  sang  his  praises  and  glory.  Out  of  his  throne  pro- 
ceeded lightnings  and  thunderings  and  voices,  which  are  the 
emblems  of  the  political  storms,  by  which  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth,  which  are  before  his  throne  as  a  sea  of  glass,  shall  be  broken 
as  potters'  vessels.  He  held,  in  his  right  hand,  a  book  written  on 
both  sides,  and  sealed  with  seven  seals.  As  no  man,  nor  any  angel, 
was  found  worthy  to  open  the  book,  and  to  look  thereon,  it  was  de- 
clared that  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  Boot  of  David,  had 
prevailed  to  open  the  book  and  to  loose  its  seals.  Therefore,  he 
took  the  book ;  and  millions  of  saints  and  angels  united  to  sing  the 
praises  and  glory  of  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  and  applauded  the 
power  which  was  conferred  upon  him  (chapter  4,  5). 

At  the  opening  of  the  first  seal,  Jesus,  sitting  on  a  white  horse, 
and  having  the  emblems  of  his  victories  over  his  enemies,  went 
forth  conquering  and  to  conquer.  At  the  opening  of  the  three  fol- 
lowing seals,  there  appeared  three  horsemen,  representing  under 
their  respective  emblems,  the  massacre  of  the  Jews,  and  the  Iloman 
civil  wars,  the  famine  and  pestilence,  wliich  ravaged,  by  turns,  the 
Roman   Empire,  to  avenge   the  blood  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus. 


244  COMMENTARY. 

Christians  were  accused  to  be  the  cause  of  these  awful  plagues,  and 
to  have  burnt  the  palace  of  Diocletian  at  Nicomedia  \  therefore,  the 
tenth  persecution,  called  the  era  of  martyrs,  was  decreed,  and  it 
continued  ten  years  \  and  so,  at  the  opening  of  the  fifth  seal,  the 
souls  of  the  martyrs  were  heard  crying  to  the  Lord  for  deliverance. 
Their  avenger  came,  at  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal  \  and  the  sup- 
porters of  paganism,  Maxentius  and  Licinius,  its  priests,  augurs, 
and  pontiffs,  were  destroyed  by  the  victorious  armies  of  Constantine. 
The  pagan  gods  fell  unto  the  earth,  and  were  no  longer  gods;  and 
Christianity  became  the  religion  of  the  Empire  (chapter  6). 

A  new  state  of  things  is  now  at  hand.  The  peace  which  the 
Church  enjoyed  from  the  reign  of  Constantine  to  the  death  of 
Theodosius,  is  represented  under  the  symbols  of  four  angels,  stand- 
ing on  the  four  corners  of  the  earth,  and  holding  the  four  winds  of 
the  earth ;  to  wit,  the  armies  of  Alaric,  G-enseric,  Attila,  and 
Odoacer,  that  they  should  not  invade  the  Empire,  till  a  number  of 
servants  of  God  should  be  sealed,  to  preserve  the  evangelical  doc- 
trines, during  the  woeful  ages  which  were  at  hand,  and  to  transmit 
them  to  the  following  generations.  And,  as  these  servants  of  God 
were  to  be  trodden  under  foot  and  slain  by  the  Gentiles,  during 
1260  years,  the  prophet  shows  us,  on  the  other  side  of  the  picture, 
the  same  servants,  glorified,  before  the  throne  of  God,  for  having 
come  conquerors  out  of  great  persecutions,  and  having  washed  their 
robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  (chapter  7). 

Christianity  having  been  proclaimed  the  religion  of  the  Empire, 
the  angel  of  the  Church  in  Pergamos  (church  exalted),  received  a 
golden  censer;  and  much  incense  was  given  unto  him,  that  he 
should  offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar 
(Jesus  Christ)  which  was  before  the  throne.  But  the  angel,  the 
Bishop  of  Rome,  at  the  head  of  the  bishops,  took  the  censer,  and 
filled  it  with  the  fire  of  the  altar  (emblem  of  the  wrath  of  God  for 
the  idolatrous  worship  which  was  then  introduced  into  the  Church), 
and  cast  it  into  the  earth ;  and  consequently  there  were  voices  and 
thunderings,  and  lightnings,  and  an  earthquake,  which  are  the 
emblems  of  the  invasions  of  the  barbarians,  under  Alaric,  Genseric, 
Attila,  and  Odoacer,  who,  at  the  sounding  of  the  first  four  trumpets, 
destroyed  the  Roman  Empire  (chapter  8). 

The  destruction  of  the  Roman  Empire  is  called  "  bottomless 
pit."  The  key  of  it  was  given  to  a  fallen  angel,  namely,  to  Boni- 
face III.,  who  opened  it,  at  the  sounding  of  the  fifth  angel ;  and 
out  of  the  ruins  of  the  empire,  he  formed  the  woeful  papal  empire, 
out  of  which  arose  the  Dark  Ages,  which  were  like  the  smoke  of  a 
great  furnace,  by  which  the  sun  and  the  air  were  darkened.  And, 
out  of  the  smoke  of  the  pit,  from  which  arose  the  papal  empire,  God, 


COMMENTARY.  245 

in  his  wrath,  sent  the  Saracens,  like  swarms  of  locusts,  to  torment, 
during  150  years,  his  unfaithful  churches.  As  the  worship  of  im- 
ages had  been  sanctioned,  by  the  eastern  churches,  in  a  council  at 
Constantinople,  the  Lord  raised  up  and  prepared  the  Moslem's 
Empire,  to  destroy,  in  his  appointed  time,  these  apostate  churches 
and  Constantinople,  at  the  sounding  of  the  sixth  trumpet  (chapter  9). 

In  wrath  God  remembers  mercy.  The  Lord  appears,  as  after 
the  flood,  with  the  emblems  of  his  power  and  mercy.  He  has  in 
his  hand  a  little  book  open,  the  Bible  unchained,  the  emblem  of 
Reformation.  He  set  his  right  foot  upon  the  civil  powers,  and  his 
left,  on  the  papal  power,  to  show  that  the  thunders  of  their  ana- 
themas shall  be  powerless  against  the  new  work  of  regeneration  which 
he  was  ready  to  perform.  The  little  book,  sweet  as  honey  in  the 
mouth,  was  bitter  in  the  belly,  showing,  on  one  side,  the  delights 
which  flow  from  the  word  of  God;  and,  on  the  other,  the  persecu- 
tions, by  which  the  Reformation  would  be  opposed.  The  course  of 
events  is  here  broken  off,  in  order  to  resume  the  prophecy  from  the 
overthrow  of  the  Roman  Empire  by  the  barbarians,  to  show  the 
origin  of  these  persecutions,  and  the  cause  for  which  new  plagues  are 
again  to  be  inflicted  upon  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  (chapter  10). 

The  overthrow  of  the  Roman  Empire  was  caused  by  the  apostacy 
of  the  western  churches ;  therefore  those  who  profess  to  be  Chris- 
tians^ are  examined  and  judged  by  the  word  of  God.  Those  only 
who  worship,  at  the  altar  in  the  temple  of  God,  according  to  the 
plan  of  salvation,  are  truly  servants  of  God ;  the  others  are  but 
nominal  Christians,  worshipping,  without  the  temple,  with  the 
Gentiles,  and  they  shall  tread  under  foot  the  true  church,  during 
1260  years.  When  the  two  witnesses — the  Albigenses  and 
Waldenses,  as  primitive  Christians,  and  the  Protestants,  as  re- 
formed from  popery,  shall  have  finished  their  testimony,  the  popish 
kingdoms  shall  make  war  against  them,  and  kill  them,  at  the  re- 
vocation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  under  Louis  XIV.,  during  three 
years  and  a  half.  But  then,  the  martyrs  of  the  Lord  shall  arise, 
and,  with  the  young  Prince  of  Orange,  they  shall  ascend,  in  1688, 
to  the  throne  of  England.  Immediately  after  this  victory  of  the 
witnesses,  the  French  revolution,  which  is  the  third  woe,  is  an- 
nounced at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh  trumpet,  as  to  show  that 
the  consequences  of  this  revolution  shall  cause  the  final  triumph  of 
the  Church,  which,  from  this  time,  shall  enjoy  the  liberty  of 
worship  (chapter  11). 

Satan,  the  master  of  the  Roman  Empire,  was  the  author  of  these 
persecutions.  He  was  watching  the  Church,  to  destroy  her  chil- 
dren, as  soon  as  they  were  born,  as  he  had  caused  the  death  of 
Jesus  himself.     He  corrupted  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  the 

22 


246  COMMENTARY. 

Western  Empire,  and  cast  them  to  the  earth,  maki^ig  them 
worshippers  of  idols  and  of  worldly  grandeur.  His  supporters, 
Maxentius  and  Licinius,  having  been  overcome  by  Constantine,  he 
was  cast  out  of  his  temples,  with  his  gods,  and  having  great  wrath, 
he  persecuted  the  Church,  and  cast  out  of  his  mouth  (religion) 
barbarians,  as  a  flood,  to  destroy  both  the  Church  and  the  Empire. 
But  the  fallen  ministers,  the  earthly  church  opened  her  pale, 
baptized  these  barbarians,  gave  them  saints  instead  of  their  idols ; 
and  so  the  Christian  name  was  safe;  for,  under  this  shadow  of 
Christianity,  which  the  barbarians  had  adopted,  true  Christians 
were  permitted  to  worship  God,  as  in  a  wilderness.  The  stratagem 
of  Satan  having  failed,  he  invented  and  performed  the  following 
masterpiece  (chapter  12). 

He  raised  up  the  Roman  Empire  out  of  its  ruins.  For  that,  he 
formed  ten  new  kingdoms,  to  which  he  gave  a  religion  boasting  of 
great  things,  and  speaking  blasphemies  against  Grod,  and  against 
his  Church.  The  state  and  the  idolatrous  church  being  united 
together,  they  made  war  with  the  true  worshippers  :  hence  arose 
the  destructive  wars,  by  which  these  kingdoms  were  desolated. 
Again,  he  formed  another  kingdom,  whose  chief,  diverse  from  the 
first,  had  two  powers,  like  Jesus  Christ,  a  spiritual  and  a  temporal 
power, — but  he  spoke  as  a  devil.  He  had  power  over  the  first 
kings,  and  he  exercised  their  authority  in  their  own  kingdoms.  He 
displayed  so  wonderful  a  power,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  were  deceived  by  his  wonders ;  and  that,  by  his  contrivances, 
they  formed  a  new  pagan  empire,  in  imitation  of  the  idolatrous 
Roman  Empire,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  Constantine.  Not 
only  he  claimed  for  himself  the  liberty  of  speaking,  and  teaching 
his  arrogant  and  idolatrous  religion ;  but  also  he  caused  to  kill  every 
one  who  refused  to  obey  him,  and  to  profess  his  devilish  religion. 
The  name  of  the  empire,  in  which  such  a  masterpiece  of  Satan  has 
been  enforced,  is  the  Latin  Empire  (chapter  13). 

Now,  the  prophet,  having  explained  how  it  was  that  the  witnesses 
were  persecuted  and  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  resumes  the  course 
of  events  from  the  tenth  chapter,  and  shows  us,  on  the  Mount  Zion 
with  the  Lamb,  the  servants  of  God,  who  were  sealed,  in  the  seventh 
chapter,  giving  the  hand  of  fellowship  to  the  churches,  reformed 
from  popery.  At  the  same  time,  the  angel  of  the  Reformation, 
flies  throughout  the  empire,  having  the  everlasting  gospel,  to  preach 
it  to  the  papists,  and  proclaiming  the  fall  of  the  mystic  Babylon,  and 
the  judgments  of  God,  which  await  the  unconverted  papists.  The 
slaughter  of  Protestants,  at  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
is  alluded  to;  and,  as  Louis  XIV.  said  that  there  were  Protestants 
no  longer,  the  prophet,  challenging  him,  declares  that  blessed  are  the 
papists  who  shall  turn  to  the  Lord ;  for  the  persecutors  shall  hence- 


COMMENTARY.  247 

forth  be  unable  to  make  war  against  them.  From  this  time,  popery 
shall  decay,  and  come  to  perdition.  The  calamities,  by  which  the 
papal  kingdoms  must  be  destroyed,  at  the  sounding  of  the  seventh 
trumpet,  are  divided  into  the  harvest,  and  into  the  vintage  of  the 
wrath  of  God  (chapter  14). 

The  fifteenth  chapter,  is  but  a  sublime  and  solemn  preparation 
for  the  events  which  take  place  in  the  following  chapter.  At  the 
pouring  out  of  the  first  five  vials,  the  people  who  had  been  trained 
under  the  papal  delusion,  were  seized  with  a  spirit  of  infidelity,  and 
of  anarchy, — the  combined  fleets  of  France  and  Spain,  were  de- 
stroyed by  Admiral  Nelson, — the  bloody  battles  of  Montenotte, 
and  of  Marengo,  avenged  the  blood  of  the  Waldenses, — Napoleon 
received  his  despotic  power  to  burn,  with  the  fire  of  wars,  the  im- 
penitent popish  subjects, — and  the  French  army,  having  been 
destroyed  in  Russia,  France  was  twice  invaded  by  millions  of 
soldiers  of  the  allied  powers,  by  the  Jesuits,  and  by  the  ancient 
regime.  The  sixth  vial  was  poured  out  upon  the  Turkish  Empire, 
which  became  more  and  more  weak,  from  the  time  of  the  Grreek 
independence.  From  the  same  epoch,  the  Satanic  agents,  sup- 
porters of  tyranny  and  of  popish  roguery,  represented  as  three  un- 
clean spirits,  coming  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  three  infernal  powers, 
go  forth  to  the  kings  of  the  earth,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of 
thaji  great  day  of  Grod  Almighty,  which  shall  be  fought,  at  the 
pouring  out  of  the  seventh  vial  (chapter  16). 

We  have,  in  the  seventeenth  chapter,  the  description  of  the 
great  whore,  which  has  corrupted  Christianity,  and  killed  the 
saints  of  the  Lord ;  a  lamentation  over  her  fall  and  her  destruc- 
tion, is  contained  in  the  eighteenth;  and,  in  the  nineteenth,  the 
great  battle  of  Armageddon,  called  the  vintage  and  the  coming  of 
ihe  Lord,  is  fought  by  the  armies  of  the  Lord.  The  kings  of  the 
earth  are  overcome,  and  cast  alive  with  the  false  prophet,  into  a 
lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone  (chapters  17,  18,  19). 

The  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  are  now  given  to  the  saints  of  the 
Lord,  and  Satan  is  bound.  The  peace  and  happiness,  which  Chris- 
tians enjoy  under  Christian  rulers,  are  called,  "the  first  resurrec- 
tion ;''  because  they  are  the  foretaste  of  the  delights  of  peace, 
freedom,  and  happiness,  which  they  shall  enjoy  forever,  after  the 
resurrection  of  the  bodies,  when  they  shall  be  clothed  with  immor- 
tality, to  enter  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  and  inhabit  eternity. 
Besides  that,  they  are  free  from  the  bondage  and  enmity  of  Satan. 
The  final  judgment  follows  the  destruction  of  the  last  enemies  of 
the  people  of  God :  Satan,  and  death,  and  the  sepulchre  are  cast 
into  a  lake  of  fire,  which  is  the  second  death  (chapter  20). 

God  is  now  in  the  midst  of  his  people.  A  new  earth,  in  which 
there  is  neither  tyranny,  nor  idolatrous  religion,  nor  persecution, 


248  COMMENTARY. 

succeeds,  at  the  first  resurrection,  to  the  former,  which  was  groan- 
ing under  the  thraldom  of  the  infernal  power  of  Satan;  and  this 
new  earth,  in  which  dwelleth  righteousness,  shall  be  throughout 
eternity  the  heaven  inhabited  by  the  righteous ;  for,  where  God  is 
there  heaven  is.  But  who  shall  be  admitted  into  this  everlast- 
ing kingdom  ?  The  true  Church  of  the  Lamb,  to  which  his 
righteousness  has  been  imputed ;  and  whose  members,  tried  by  the 
word  of  God,  as  it  was  announced  by  the  twelve  apostles,  have 
built  upon  the  true  foundation,  and  have  entered  in  through  the 
gate,  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  also  the  foundation  and  the  pearl  of  great 
price,  which  they  have  bought,  in  forsaking  all  they  possessed  for 
the  love  of  Christ,  These  alone  shall  be  partakers  of  the  blessings 
of  the  kingdom,  and  shall  have  right  to  regeneration,  which  is  the 
tree  of  life,  which  grows  wheresoever  the  healing  waters  of 
the  gospel  spread.  The  promises,  made  in  this  prophecy,  to  the 
saints,  and  the  plagues  by  which  the  unbelievers  are  threatened  to 
be  destroyed,  are  certain,  and  duly  approved  and  certified  by  Jesus, 
the  author  of  the  prophecy,  by  the  prophet,  and  by  the  witnesses, 
the  Spirit  and  the  Bride,  inviting  sinners  to  come,  and  to  take  the 
waters  of  life  freely  (chapter  21,  22). 

Such  is  the  picture  which  the  prophet  gives  us,  in  this  wonder- 
ful book,  of  the  principal  events,  which  have  been  accomplished 
during  eighteen  centuries,  and  of  those  which  shall  be  accomplished 
to  the  end  of  time.  Its  symbolic  language  has  been  faithfully  ex- 
plained, according  to  the  nature,  use,  and  functions  of  its  emblems, 
which  become  clear,  when  they  are  confronted  with  the  events 
which  they  describe.  The  same  event  is  often  represented  under 
two  pictures,  the  one  as  a  prediction  of  the  event,  the  other,  as  its 
fulfilment;  and  then,  there  is  always  some  word  in  the  latter, 
which  points  to  the  former.  All  the  events,  thus  explained,  are 
connected  together,  from  the  first  to  the  last  chapter;  and  they  are 
described,  in  the  prophecy,  with  the  same  order  in  which  they 
are  related  by  the  most  correct  historians.  There  is,  then,  no 
other  explanation  of  this  book,  except  for  secondary  matters,  which 
may  be  understood  according  to  the  difierent  opinions  of  men. 
You  can  judge,  at  present,  reader,  whether  Newton  or  Voltaire, 
had  an  erroneous  judgment  upon  a  principle  received  without  ex- 
amination. '' Who  hath  declared  this  from  ancient  time  ?  Who 
hath  told  it  from  that  time  ?  Have  not  I  the  Lord  ?  And  there 
is  no  God  else  beside  me  ;  a  just  God,  and  a  Saviour  ;  there  is  none 
beside  me.  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  :  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else." 

THE     END. 


CATALOGUE 

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We,  the  subscribers,  having  examined  the  Comprehensive  Commentary,  issued  from  the  press  of 
Messrs.  L.,  G.  <t  Co.,  and  highly  approving:  lis  cliaracter,  would  cheerfully  and  confidently  recom- 
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B.  B.  WISN  ER,  D.  D.,  Secretary  of  Am.  Board  of  Com.  for  For.  Missioua. 

WM.  COGSWELL.  D.  D.,      ••  **    Education  Society. 

JOIiN  CODMAN,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  Congregational  Church,  Dorchester. 

Rev.  HUBBARD  WINSLOW,  "  "        Bowdoin  street,  DorchestM. 

Rev.  SEWALL  HARDING,  Pastor  of  T.  C.  Churah,  Waltham. 

Rev.  J,  H.  FAIRCHILD,  Pastor  of  Congregiilioual  Church,  South  Boston. 

GARDINER  SPRING,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  Presbyterian  Church,  New  YoVkcity. 

CYRUS  MASON,  D.  D.,  "    ■  «  «  « 

THOS.  M'AULEY,  D.  D.,  "  ..  «  « 

JOHN  WOODBRIDGE,  D.  D.,     "  *  *  • 

THOS.  DEWITT,  D.  D.,  "  Dutch  Ref.         "  • 

E.  W.  BALD\MN,  D.  D.,  -  "  "  " 

Rev.  J.  M.  M-KREBS,  "  Presbyterian      "  " 

Rev.  ERSKINE  MASON,  -  u  «  h 

Rev.  J.  S.  SPENCER,  "  "  "         Brooklyn. 

EZRA  STILES  ELY,  D.  D.,  Stated  Clerk  of  Gen.  Assem.  of  Presbyterian  Church. 

JOHN  M'DOWELL,  D.  D..  Permanent  »  "  ..  - 

JOHN  BRECKEN  RIDGE,  CoiTesponding  Secretary  of  Assembly's  Board  of  Educfttioa. 

SAMUEL  B.  WVLIE.  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  Kefurmed  Presbyterian  Church. 

N.  LORD,  D.  D.,  President  of  Dartmouth  College. 

JOSHUA  BATES,  D.  D.,  President  of  ilidtilebury  OoUeg«. 

H.  HUMPHREY,  D.  D.,  "  Amherst  College. 

E.  D.  GRIPFIN,  D.  D.,  "  Williainstown  College. 

J.  WHEELER.  D.  D.,  ••  University  of  Vermont,  at  Burlington. 

J.  M.  MATTHEWS,  D.  D.,    "  New  York  City  Umversity. 

GEORGE  E.  PIERCE,  D.  D.,  "  Western  Reserve  College,  Oliio. 

Rev.  Dr.  BK(JWN,  "  JefTerson  College,  Peiin. 

LEONARD  WOODS,  D.  D.,  Profe.ssor  of  Theology,  Andover  Seminary. 

THOS.  H.  SKl.NNER,  D.  D.,       "  Sac.  Rhet. 

Rev.  RALPH  EMERSON,  "  Eccl.  Hist. 

Rev.  JOEL  PARKER.  Pastor  of  Presbyterian  Church,  New  Orleans. 

JOEL  HAWES,  D.  D.,      **  Congregational  Church,  Hartford,  Cooa 

N.  S.  S.  BEAMAN,  D.  D.,  "  Presbytenau  Church,  lYoy,  N.  Y. 

MARK  TUCKER,  D.  D., "  "  "  "        " 

Rev.  E.  N.  KIRK,  -  «  «        Albany,  N.  Y, 

Rev.  E.  B.  EDWARDS,  Editor  of  Quarterly  Observer. 

Rev.  STEPHEN  MASON,  Pastor  First  Congregational  Church,  Nantucket 

Rev.  ORIN  FOWLER,  «        "  "  "       FaU  River. 

GEORGE  W.  BETHUNE,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Dutch  Church.  FhihwU. 

Rev.  LYMAN  BEECHER,  D.  D.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Rev.  C.  D.  MALLORY,  Pastor  Ba[)tist  Church,  Augusta,  Ga. 

Rev.  S.  M.  NOEL,  «  «  «        Frankfort,  Ky. 

From  the  Professors  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminnrp. 
The  Comprehensive  Commentary  contuiiis  the  whole  of  Henry's  Exposition  in  a  condensed  fonn, 
Scott'a  Practical  Ottservations  and  Marginal  References,  and  a  large  number  of  very  valuable  philo- 
logical and  critical  notes,  si'.lucted  from  various  authors.  The  work  appears  to  be  executed  wit% 
judgment,  fidelity,  and  care ;  and  will  furnish  a  rich  treasure  of  scriptural  knowl«dge  to  th* 
Biblio&l  student,  and  to  the  teachers  of  Sabbath -St^hools  and  Bible  Classes. 

A.  ALEXANDER,  D.  D. 
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The  value  of  a  Concordance  is  now  generally  understood ;  and  those  who  have  used  one,  con- 
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2.  A  Guide  to  the  Reading  and  Study  of  the  Bible ; 

being  Carpenter's  valuable  Biblical  Companion,  lately  published  in  London,  containing  a  complete 
hiatory  of  the  Bible,  and  forming  a  most  excellent  introduction  to  its  study.  It  embraces  the  evi- 
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3.  Complete  Biographies  of  Henry,  by  Williams;  Soott,  by  his 
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with  sketches  of  the  lives  and  characters,  and  notices  of  the  works,  of  the  writers  on  the  Scripture* 
who  are  quoted  in  the  Commentary,  hving  and  dead,  American  and  foreign. 

This  part  of  the  volume  not  only  affords  a  large  quantity  of  interestijig  and  useful  reading  for 
pious  families,  but  will  also  he  a  source  of  gratification  to  all  tljose  who  are  in  the  habit  of  consult- 
ing Ihp  Commentary ;  every  one  naturally  feeling  a  desire  to  know  some  particulars  of  the  lives  and 
characters  of  those  whose  opinions  he  seeks.    Appended  to  thLs  part,  will  be  a 

BIBLIOTHECA  BIBLICA, 

or  list  of  the  best  works  on  the  Bible,  of  all  kinds,  arranged  under  their  appropriate  heads. 

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A  very  comprehensive  and  valuable  Dictionary  of  Scripture  Symbols,  (occupying  about  fifty-six 
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6.  The  Work  contains  several  other  Articles, 

Indexes,  Tables,  <kc.  Sic.,  and  is, 

7.  Illustrated  by  a  large  Plan  of  Jerusalem, 

identifying,  as  far  as  tradition,  &c.,  go,  the  original  sites,  drawn  on  the  spot  by  F.  Catherwood,  of 
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LITERATURE  OF  THE  EASTERN  NATIONS : 

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ROBERTS,  HARRIER,  BURDER,  PAXTON,  CHANDLER, 

And  the  most  celebrated  oriental  travellers.    Embracing  also  the  subject  of  the  Fulfilment  oi 

Prophecy,  as  exhibited  by  Keith  and  others ;  with  descriptions  of  the  present  state 

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ILLUSTRATED  BY  NUIVIEROUS  LANDSCAPE  ENGRAVINGS, 

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Edited  by  Rev.  George  Bush, 

Professor  of  Heorew  and  Oriental  Literature  in  the  New  York  City  UniverBity. 

The  importance  of  this  work  must  be  otmous,  and,  being  altogether  illustrative,  without  reference 
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This  volume  is  not  designed  to  take  the  place  of  Commentaries,  but  is  a  distinct  department  of  biblical 
instruction,  and  may  f^  used  as  a  compaidon  to  the  Comprehensive  or  any  other  Commentary,  or  the 
Holy  Bible. 

THE  ENGRAVINGS 

tn  this  volume,  it  is  believed,  viill  form  no  small  part  of  its  attractions.  No  pains  have  been  spared 
to  procure  such  as  should  embellLsh  the  work,  and,  at  the  same  time,  illustrate  the  text.  Objec- 
tions that  have  been  made  to  the  pictures  commouly  introduced  mto  the  Bible,  as  being  mere  crea- 
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cannot  be  urged  against  the  pictorial  illustrations  of  this  volume.  Here  the  fine  arts  are  made 
subservient  to  utihty.  the  landscape  views  being,  without  an  exception,  matter-of-fact  viewtof  places 
mentioned  in  Scripture,  as  they  appear  at  the  present  day ;  thus  in  many  instances  exhibiting,  in  the 
most  forcible  manner,  to  the  eye,  the  strict  and  literal  fulfilment  of  the  remarkable  prophecies;  "the 
present  ruined  and  desolate  condition  of  the  cities  of  Babylon,  Nineveh,  Selah,  iic.,  and  the  coun- 
tries of  Edom  and  Egypt,  are  astonishing  examples,  and  •©  completely  exemplify,  in  the  most 
minute  particulars,  every  thing  which  was  foretold  of  them  in  the  height  of  their  prosperity,  that 
no  better  description  can  now  be  given  of  them  than  a  simple  quotation  from  a  chapter  and  verse 
of  the  Bible  written  nearly  two  or  three  thousand  years  ago."  The  pubhshers  are  enabled  to  select 
from  several  collections  lately  published  in  London,  the  proprietor  of  one  of  which  says  that  "seve- 
ral distinguished  travellers  have  afforded  him  the  use  of  nearly  Three  Hundred  Orii/itial  Sketches" 
of  Scnpture  pla(;es,  made  upon  the  spot.  "The  land  of  Palestine,  it  is  well  known,  abounds  in 
scenes  of  the  most  picturesque  beauty.  Syria  comprehends  the  snowy  heights  of  Lebanon,  and  the 
majestic  ruins  of  Ta/lmor  and  Baalbec." 
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Price  from  $1  ScT to  $5  00. 

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A  new,  fall,  and  complete  Concordance ;  illustrated  with  monumental,  traditional,  and  oriental 
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Accounts,  a  more  valuable  work  than  either  Buttcrworth,  Cruden,  or  any  other  similar  book  in  th* 
language. 

The  value  of  a  Concordance  is  now  generally  understood ;  and  those  who  have  used  one,  oon- 
nder  it  indisi<ensable  in  connection  with  the  Bible.  Some  of  the  many  advantages  the  Illu-strated 
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LIPPINCOTT,  QRAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 
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BAQSTEB'S  GO^^PREHENSIVE  BIBLE. 

In  order  to  develope  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  Comprehensive  Bible,  it  will  only  he  necessary 
to  embrace  its  more  prominei*  feature?. 

1st.  The  SACRED  TEXT  is  that  of  the  Authorized  Version,  and  is  printed  from  the  edition  cor- 
rected and  improved  by  Dr.  Blaney,  which,  from  its  accuracy,  is  considered  the  standard  edition. 

2<1.  The  VARIOUS  READINGS  are  faithfully  printed  from  the  edition  of  Dr.  Blaney,  inclusive 
of  the  translation  of  the  proper  names,  without  the  addition  or  diminution  of  one. 

3d.  In  the  CHRONOLOGY,  great  care  has  been  taken  to  fix  the  date  of  the  particular  transac- 
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meits  of  any  sect  or  party.  They  are  selected  from  the  most  eminent  Biblical  critics  and  com- 
mentators. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  edition  of  the  Holy  Bible  will  be  fourid  to  contain  the  essence  of  Biblical 
research  and  criticism,  that  lies  dispersed  through  an  immense  number  of  volumes. 

Such  is  the  nature  and  desig^n  of  this  edition  of  the  Sacred  Volume,  which,  from  the  various 
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ness,  and  correctness  of  the  typography,  that  it  cannot  fail  i/f  proving  acceptable  and  useful  to 
Christians  of  every  denomination. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  references  to  parallel  passages,  which  are  quite  full  and  numerous,  the 
student  has  all  the  marginal  readings,  together  with  a  rich  selection  of  Philoloyical,  Critical,  Histo- 
rical, Geographical,  and  other  valuable  notes  and  remarks,  which  explain  and  illustrate  the  sacred 
text.  Besides  the  general  introduction,  containjpg  valuable  essays  on  the  geuuinene.ss,  authenticity, 
and  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  otlier  topics  of  interest,  there  are  introductory  and  con- 
cluding remarks  to  each  book— a  table  of  the  contents  of  tJie  Bible,  by  wliich  the  different  portions 
are  so  arranged  as  to  read  in  an  historical  order. 

Arranged  at  the  top  of  each  page  is  the  period  in  which  the  prominent  events  of  sacred  history 
took  place.  The  calculations  are  made  for  the  year  of  the  world  before  and  after  Christ,  Julian 
Penod,  the  year  of  the  Olympiad,  the  year  of  the  building  of  Rome,  and  other  notations  of  time. 
At  the  close  is  inserted  a  Chronological  Index  of  the  Bible,  according  to  the  computation  of  Arch- 
bishop Ussher.  Also,  a  full  and  valuable  index  of  the  subjects  contained  in  the  Old  and  New  Test»- 
nieiita,  with  a  careful  analysis  and  arrangement  of  texts  under  their  appropriate  subjects. 

Mr.  Greenfield,  the  editor  of  this  work,  and  for  some  time  previous  to  his  death  the  superintend- 
ent if  the  editorial  department  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  was  a  most  extraordinary 
man.  In  editing  the  Comjirehensive  Bible,  his  varied  and  extensive  learning  was  called  into  suo- 
cessful  vjxercise,  and  appears  in  happy  combination  with  sincere  piety  and  a  sound  judgment.  The 
E  'itor  of  the  Christian  Observer,  alludmg  to  this  work,  in  an  obituary  notic*  of  its  author,  speaks 
of  it  as  a  work  of  "  prodigious  labour  and  research,  at  once  exlxibiting  his  varied  talents  and  pro- 
found erudition." 


LIPPINCO'^i"S  EDITION  OF 

THE  OXFORD  QUARTO  BIBLE. 

The  Publishers  have  spared  neither  care  nor  expense  in  their  edition  of  the  Bible;  it  is  printed 
CQ  the  finest  white  vellum  paper,  with  large  and  beautiful  type,  and  bound  in  the  most  substantial 
and  Bplemlid  manner,  in  the  following  styles :  Velvet,  with  richly  gilt  ornaments ;  Turkey  super 
extra,  with  gilt  cla-sps ;  and  in  numerous  others,  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  most  fastidious. 

OPINIONS    OF   THE   PRESS. 

*  In  mir  opinion,  the  Christian  public  generally  will  feel  under  great  oblisations  to  the  publishers 
of  this  work  for  the  beautiful  taste,  arraugenieiit,  and  delicate  neatness  with  which  they  have  got 
it  cut.  The  intrinsic  merit  of  the  Bible  recommends  itself;  it  needs  no  tinsel  ornament  to  adorn 
its  sacred  pages.  In  this  edition  every  superfluous  ornament  has  been  avoided,  and  we  have  pr»- 
Fcnted  us  a  perfectly  chaste  specimen  of  the  Bible,  without  note  or  Comment.  It  appears  to  be  just 
what  is  needed  in  every  family — '  the  unsophisticated  word  of  God.' 

"  The  size  is  quarto,  printed  with  beautiful  type,  on  white,  sized  vellum  paper,  of  the  finest  texture 
and  most  beautilul  surface.  The  publishers  seem  to  have  been  .solicitous  to  make  a  perfectly 
unique  book,  and  they  have  accomplished  the  object  very  successfully.  We  trust  that  a  liberal 
community  will  afford  them  ample  remuneration  for  all  the  expense  and  outlay  they  have  neccs.sa- 
rily  incurred  in  its  publication.    It  is  a  standard  Bible. 

"The  piibliKhcrs  are  Messrs.  Lippincott,  Grambo  &  Co.,  No.  14  North  Fourth  street,  Philadui- 
phia."  —  Baptist  Record. 

"A  neautiful  quarto  edition  of  the  Bible,  by  L.,  G.  <fc  Co.  Notlung  can  exceed  the  type  in  cleiu 
ness'  and  beauty;  the  paper  is  of  the  finest  texture,  and  the  whole  execution  is  exceeiiinsriy  neat. 
No  illustrations  or  oniatiiental  tvpe  are  used.  Those  wlio  prefer  a  Bible  executed  in  perfect  sini- 
-plicity,  yet  elegance  of  style,  without  adornment,  will  probably  never  find  one  more  to  their  tafiU  " 
■^M.  Mwjazvie. 

A*  R 


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A  Lberal  discount  made  to  Booksellers  and  Agents  by  the  Publishers. 

ENCYCLOPy^DIA  OF  RELIGIOUS  KNOWLEDGE,- 

OR,  niCTIONARY  OF  THE  BIBLE,  THEOLOGY,  RELIGIOUS  BIOGRAPHY,  ALL  RELTGIGNS, 
ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY,  AND  MISSIONS. 
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The  Errors  of  Modern  Inlidelily  Illustrated  and  Eefuted. 

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We  cannot  but  regard  this  work,  in  whatcverliirlit  we  view  it  in  reference  to  its  design,  as  one 
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and  dangerous  of  all  ancient  or  modern  errors,  God  must  bless  such  a  work,  ani.ed  with  his  own 
truth,  and  doing  fierce  and  successful  battle  against  black  iufidelity,  which  would  bring  His  Majesty 
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Clngq  n!  Slratrira: 


CONSISTING    OF 

ANECDOTES  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE  CHARACTER  OF  MINISTERS  OF  RELI- 

GION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

BY   JOSEPH  BELCHER,   D.D., 

Editor  of  "The  Complete  Works  of  Andrew  Fuller,"  "Robert  Ilall,"  &c. 

"  This  very  intcrestine:  and  instructive  co'.lection  of  pleasiner  and  solemn  remembrances  of  manjr 
pious  men,  illiisiniles  the  character  of  the  d;iy  in  vi'hich  they  lived,  and  defines  the  men  more 
tiearly  than  very  elaborate  essviys."  —  Baltimore  American. 

"  We  regard  the  coUectioa  as  highly  interesting,  and  judiciously  maHe."  — Presbyterian. 

JOSEPHUS'S  (FLAVIUS)  WORKS, 

FAMILY    EDITION. 
BY  THE  LATE  -WILLIAIVI  "WHISTON,  A.  3VE. 

FROM  THE  LAST  LONDON  EDITION,  COMPLETE. 

One    olume,  beautifully  illustrated  with  Steel  Plates,  and  the  only  readable  edition 

published  in  this  country. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  every  family  in  our  co'uitry  has  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Bible ;  and  as  the  pre- 
Bumption  is  that  the  greater  portion  often  consult  its  pages,  we  take  the  liberty  of  saying  to  all  those 
that  do,  that  the  perusal  of  the  writings  of  Josephus  will  be  found  very  interesting  and  instructive. 

All  those  who  wish  to  possess  a  beautiful  and  correct  copy  of  this  valuable  work,  would  do  well 
to  purchase  this  edition.  It  is  for  sale  at  all  the  principal  bookstores  in  the  United  States,  aad  by 
country  merchants  generally  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States. 

Also,  the  above  work  in  two  volumes. 

BURDER'S  VILLAGE  SERMONS; 

Or,  101  Plain  and  Short  Discourses  on  the  Principal  Doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 

INTENDED   FOR  THE   USE  OF   FAMILIES,  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS,  OR  CO:\IPANIES  ASS5M- 
BLED  FOR  RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION  IN  COUNTRY  VILLAGES. 
BY  QEORG-E   BURDER. 
To  which  is  added  to  each  Sermon,  a  Short  Prayer,  with  some  General  Prayers  for  Familio» 
Schools,  ice,  at  the  end  of  the  work.  • 

COMPLETE  IN  ONE  VOLUME,  OCTAVO. 
These  sermons,  which  are  characterized  by  a  beautiful  simplicity,  the  entire  absence  of  contro- 
renty,  and  a  true  evangrlical  spirit,  have  gone  through  many  and  large  editions,  and  been  translated 
Into  several  of  the  continental  languages.  "  They  have  also  been  the  honoured  means  not  only  of 
convertmg  many  individuals,  but  also  of  introducing  the  Gospel  into  districts,  and  even  mto  parish 
ehurches,  where  before  it  was  comparatively  unknown."  ^ 

"  This  work  fully  deserves  the  immortality  it  has  attained."  ^ 

This  is  a  fine  library  edition  of  this  invaluable  work ;  and  when  we  Bay  that  it  should  be  found  in 
the  possession  of  every  family,  we  only  reiterate  the  sentiments  and  sincere  wishes  of  all  who  take 
a  deep  interest  in  the  eternal  welfare  of  mankind. 

FAMILY   PRAYERS   AND   HYMNS, 

ADAPTED  TO  FAMILY  WORSHIP, 

TABLES  FOR  THE  REGULAR  ^READING  OF  THE  voRIPTURES. 

By  Rev.  S.  C.  Winchester,  A.  M., 

L*t«  Past<ir  of  the  Sixth  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia;    and   the   Preabyterian  Churck  M 
Natchez,  Miss. 

One   volume,    12ino. 


LIPPINCOTT,  QRAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

SPLENDID  LIBRARY  EDITIONS. 


ILLUSTRATED  STANDARD  POETS. 

ELEGANTLY   PRINTED,  ON   FINE   PAPER,  AND   UNIFORM   IN   SIZE   AND 

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^le  following  Editions  of  Standard  British  Poets  are  illustrated  with  numerous  Steel 
Engravings,  and  may  be  had  in  all  varieties  of  binding. 

BYRON'S  WORKS. 

COMPLETE   IN    ONE   VOLUME,    OCTAVO. 

LNCLUDENG  ALL  HIS  SUPPRESSED  AND  ATTRIBUTED  POEMS;  WITH  SIX  BEAUTIFUL 
ENGRAVINGS. 
This  edition  has  been  carefully  compared  with  the  recent  London  edition  of  Mr.  Murray,  and 
made  complete  by  the  addition  of  more  than  fifty  pages  of  poems  heretofore  unpublisiied  in  Eng- 
land. Among  these  there  are  a  number  that  have  never  appeared  in  any  American  edition;  and 
the  publishers  believe  they  are  warranted  in  saying  that  this  is  the  most  complete  edition  of  Lord 
Byron's  Poetical  Works  ever  published  in  the  United  States. 


t  \kt\M  ^orkfi  0f  Mis.  Benians. 

Complete  in  one  volume,  octavo ;  with  seven  beautiful  Engravings. 

This  is  a  new  and  complete  edition,  with  a  splendid  engraved  likeness  of  Mrs.  Hemans,  on  steel, 
and  contains  all  the  Poems  in  the  last  London  and  American  editions.  With  a  Critical  Preface  by 
Mr.  Thatcher,  of  Boston. 

"As  no  work  in  the  English  language  can  be  commended  with  more  confidence,  it  \vill  argue  bad 
taste  m  a  female  in  this  country  to  be  without  a  complete  edition  of  the  writings  of  one  who  was 
anjhonour  to  her  sex  and  to  humamty,  and  whose  productions,  from  first  to  last,  contain  no  syllable 
calculated  to  call  a  blush  to  the  cheek  of  modesty  and  virtue.  There  is,  moreover,  in  Mrs.  Hemans's 
poetry,  a  moral  purity  and  a  religious  feeling  which  commend  it,  in  an  especial  manner,  to  the  dis- 
criminating reader.  No  parent  or  guardian  will  be  under  the  necessity; of  imposing  restrictions 
with  regard  to  the  free  perusal  of  every  production  emanating  from  this  gifted  woman.  There 
breathes  throughout  the  whole  a  most  eminent  exemption  from  impropriety  of  thought  or  diction ; 
and  there  is  at  times  a  peusiveness  of  tone,  a  winning  sadness  in  her  more  serious  compositions, 
which  tells  of  a  soul  wliich  has  been  lifted  from  the  contemplation  of  terrestrial  things,  to  divine 
eommunings  vnth  beings  of  a  purer  world."  .. 


iWILTON,  YOUNG,  GRAY,  BEATTIE,  AND  COLLINS'S 
POETICAt  WORKS. 

COMPLETE    IN    ONE    VOLUME,   OCTAVO. 
WITH   SIX   BEAUTIFUL   BNGRAVIN&S. 


COMPLETE    IN    ONE   VOLUME,  OCTAVO. 

tocludiijg  two  hundred  and  fifty  Letters,  and  sundry  Poems  of  Cowper,  never  before  published  ia 

this  country ;  and  of  Thomson  a  new  and  interesting  Memoir,  and  upwards  of  twenty 

new  Poems,  for  the  first  time  printed  from  his  own  Manuscripts,  taken  from 

a  late  Edition  of  the  Aldine  Poets,  now  publisliing  in  London. 
WITH  SEVEN  BEAUTIFUL  ENGRAVINGS. 
The  distinguished  Profe.s.sor  Silliman,  speaking  of  this  edition,  observes :  "  I  am  as  much  gratifiea 
by  the  elegance  and  fine  taste  of  your  edition,  as  by  the  noble  tribute  of  genius  and  moral  excel- 
lence which  these  delightful  authors  have  left  for  all  future  generations  ;  and  Cowper,  esp^tmlly, 
Is  not  less  conspicuous  as  a  true  Christian,  moralist  and  teacher,  than  as  a  poet  of  great  pc>wer  aiMt 
eici'iisite  taste." 

9 


LIPPINCOTT,  QRAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

THE  POETICAL  WORKS  OF  ROGERS,  CAillPBELL,  MONTGOMERY, 
LAMB,  AND  KIRKE  Y/HITE. 

COMPLETE    IN    ONE    VOLUME,    OCTAVO. 
WITH    SIX    BEAUTIFUL    ENGRAVINGS. 

The  beauty,  correctness,  and  convenience  of  this  favourite  edition  of  these  standard  aulliors  are 
•o  well  known,  that  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  a  word  m  its  favour.  It  is  only  necessary  to  say, 
that  the  publishers  have  now  issued  an  illustrated  edition,  which  greatly  enhances  its  former  value. 
The  engravings  are  excellent  and  well  selected.    It  is  the  best  library  edition  extant. 


CRABBE,  HEBER,  AND  POLLOK'S  POETICAL  WORKS. 

COMPLETE    IN    ONE    VOLUME,  OCTAVO. 
WITH   SIX  BEAUTIFUL   ENGRAVINGS. 

A  writer  in  the  Boston  Traveller  holds  the  following  language  with  reference  to  these  valuable 
editions : — 

"  Mr.  Editor :  —  I  wish,  without  any  idea  of  puflyig,  to  say  a  word  or  two  upon  the  '  Library  of 
English  Poeis'  that  is  now  published  at  Philadelphia,  by  Lippincott,  Grambo  <k  Co.  It  is  certainly, 
taking  into  consideration  the  elegant  manner  in  which  it  is  printed,  and  the  reasonable  price  at 
which  it  is  afforded  to  purchasers,  the  best  edition  of  the  modern  British  Poets  that  has  ever  been 
published  in  this  country.  Each  volume  is  an  octavo  of  about  50O  pages,  double  columns,  steneo- 
^  typed,  and  accompanied  with  fine  engravings  and  biojrraphical  sketches ;  and  most  of  them  are 
reprinted  from  Galignani's  French  edition.  As  to  its  value,  we  need  only  mention  that  it  contains 
the  entire  works  of  Montgomery,  Gray.  Beattie,  Collins,  Byron,  Cowper,  Thomson,  Milton,  Ifoung, 
Rogers,  Campbell,  Lamb,  Henians,  Heber,  Kirke  White,  Crabbe,  the  Miscellaneous  Works  of  Gold- 
tmith,  and  other  masters  of  the  lyre.  The  publishers  are  doing  a  great  service  by  their  publication, 
and  their  volumes  are  almost  in  as  great  demand  as  the  fashionable  novels  of  the  day  ;  and  thfiy 
deserve  to  be  so :  for  they  are  certainly  printed  in  a  style  superior  to  that  in  which  we  have  before 
had  the  works  of  the  English  Poets." 

No  library  can  be  considered  complete  without  a  copy  of  the  above  beautiful  and  cheap  edition» 
of  the  English  Poets ;  and  persons  ordermg  all  or  any  of  theni,  will  please  say  Lippincott,  Grambo 
4  Co.'s  illustrated  editions. 


A    COMPLETE 

lift-ionan]  of  l^ortiral  dliiiiotatiDiiB: 

eOMPRISING   TFIK   MOST  EXCELLENT  AND  APPROPRIATE  PASSAGES  IN 
THE  OLD  BRITIi^n  POETS;  WITH  CHOICE  AND  COPIOUS  SELEC- 
TIONS FROM  THE  BEST  MODERN  BRITISH  AND 
AMERICAN  POETS. 
EDITED    BY    SARAH    JOSEPHA   HALE. 
As  nightingales  do  upon  glow-worms  feed, 
So  poets  live  upon  the  living  light 
Of  Nature  and  of  Beauty. 

Bailey's  Festus. 

Benutlfully  iUustralcd  with  Engravings.    In  one  super-royal  octavo  volume,  in  various 

bindings. 

The  publishers  extract,  from  the  many  highly  complimentary  notices  of  the  above  valuable  and 
beautiful  work,  the  following  : 

"We  have  at  last  a  volume  of  Poetical  Quotations  worthy  of  the  name.  It  contains  nearly  six 
hundred  octavo  }>ages,  carefully  and  tastefully  selected  from  all  the  home  and  foreign  authors  of 
celebrity.  It  is  mv.iluable  to  a  writer,  while  to  the  ordinary  reader  it  presents  every  subject  at  a 
fiance." — Godcy's  I/idy's  Book. 

"  The  plan  or  idea  of  Mrs.  Hale's  work  is  felicitous.  It  is  one  for  which  her  fine  taste,  her  orderly 
Ijabitsof  jninil,  and  her  long  occufiation  with  literature,  lias  given  her  peculiar  facilities;  and  tho- 
roughly has  she  accomplished  her  ta.sk  in  the  work  before  us."  —  Sartam's  Magazine. 

"  It  is  n  choice  collection  of  poetical  extracts  from  every  English  and  American  author  wortk 
perusing,  from  the  days  of  Chaucer  to  the  present  lime."    •Wushiiiot07i  Union. 

"  There  u  nothing  negative  about  this  work ;  it  is  positively  good."—  Evening  BtUletvt. 


10 


LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

THE  DIAIViOND  EDITION  OF  BYRON. 
THE  POETICAL  WOEKS  OF  LORD  BYRON, 

IVITH   A    SKETCH    OF    HIS   LIFE. 

COMPLETK   IN   OSTH   NEAT   DUODECIMO   VOLUME,  WITH    STEEL   PLATES. 

The  type  of  this  edition  is  so  perfect,  and  it  is  printed  with  so  much  care,  on  fine  white  paper, 
that  it  can  be  read  with  as  much  ease  as  most  of  the  larger  editions.  This  work  is  to  be  had  vt 
plain  and  superb  binding,  making  a  beautiful  volume  for  a  gift. 

"  Tfie  Poetical  Works  of  Lord  Byron,  complete  in  one  volume  ;  published  by  L.,  G.  &  Co.,  Phila. 
delphia.  We  hazard  nothing  in  saying  that,  take  it  altogether,  this  is  the  most  elegant  work  ever 
issued  from  the  American  press. 

'"In  a  single  volume,  not  larger  than  an  ordinary  duodecimo,  the  pubUshers  have  embraced  the 
whole  of  Lord  Byron's  Poems,  usually  printed  in  ten  or  twelve  volumes ;  and,  what  is  more  remark- 
able, have  done  it  with  a  type  so  clear  and  distinct,  that,  notwithstanding  its  necessarily  small  size, 
it  may  be  read  with  the  utmost  facility,  even  by  failing  eyes.  The  book  is  stereotyped  ;  and  never 
have  we  seen  a  finer  specimen  of  that  art.  Everything  about  it  is  perfect  — the  paper,  the  print- 
ing, the  binding,  all  correspond  with  each  other;  and  it  is  embellished  vfith  two  fine  engravings, 
well  worthy  the  companionship  in  wliich  they  are  placed. 

"  'This  yfill  make  a  beautiful  Christmas  present.' 

"  We  extract  the  above  from  Godey's  Lady's  Book.  The  notice  itself,  we  are  given  to  understand, 
is  written  by  Mrs.  Hale. 

"  We  have  to  add  our  commendation  in  favour  of  this  beautiful  volume,  a  copy  of  which  has 
been  sent  us  by  the  publishers.  The  admirers  of  the  noble  bard  will  feel  obliged  to  the  enterprise 
which  has  prompted  the  publishers  to  dare  a  competition  with  the  numerous  editions  of  his  works 
already  in  circulation ;  and  we  shall  be  surprised  if  this  convenient  travelhng  edition  does  not  in  a 
great  degree  supersede  the  use  of  the  large  octavo  works,  which  have  little  advantage  in  size  ana 
openness  of  type,  and  are  much  inferior  m  the  qualities  of  portability  and  lightness."  —  hiteUigcncer. 


THE  DIAMOND  EDITION  OF  MOORE. 

(corresponding   with    BYRON.) 

THE  POETICAL  WORKS^OF  THOMAS  mOORE, 

COLLECTED  BY  HIMSELF. 

COMPLETE   IN  ONE  VOLUME. 

Tnis  work  is  published  uniform  with  Byron,  from  the  last  London  edition,  and  is  the  most  com- 
plete printed  in  the  country. 


THE  DIAMOND  EDITION  OF  SHAKSPEARE, 

(COMPLETE    IN    ONE   VOLUME,) 

ISTOXitTDISfG  £L  SKETCH  OP  SS2S  X^IFIE!. 

UNIFORM  WITH  BYRON  AND  MOORE. 

THE    ABOVE    WORKS   CAN   BE   HAD   IN    SEVERAL    VARIETIES    OF    BINDINS. 

GOLDSMITH'S  ANIMATED  NATURE. 

in   two   volumes,   OCTAVO. 
BEAUTIFULLY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  385  PLATES. 

CONTAINING  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  EARTH,  ANIMALS,  BIRDS,  AND  FISHES;  FORMING 
THE  MOST  COMPLETE  NATURAL  HISTORY  EVER  PUBLISHED. 

This  is  a  work  that  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  family,  having  been  written  by  one  of  th« 
most  talented  authors  in  the  English  language. 

"  Goldsmith  can  never  be  made  obsolete  while  delicate  genius,  exquisite  feeling,  fine  inventioiv 
'he  most  harmonious  metre,  and  the  happiest  diction,  are  at  all  valued." 

BIGLAND'S  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Of  Afiimala,  Birds,  Fishes,  Reptiles,  and  Insects.    Illustrated  with  numerous  and  beautiful 
ings.     By  JOHN  BIGLAND,  author  of  a  "  View  of  the  World,"  "  letters  on 
Universal  Hietory,"  <tc.    Complete  in  \  vol..  12mo. 

11 


LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMEO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

THE  POWER  AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


THE  UNITED  STATES;  Its  Power  and  Progress. 

BY  GUILIiAUaiE   TELL  POUSSIN, 

LATE  MINISTER  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  FRANCE  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

FIRST  AMERICAN,  FROM  THE  THIRD  PARIS  EDITION. 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH  BY  EDMOND  L.  DU  BARRY,  M.  D., 

SURGEON  U.  S.  NAVY. 

In  one  large  octavo  volume. 

SCHOOLCRAFT'S  GREAT  NATIONAL  WORK  ON  THE  INDIAN  TRIBES  OF 
THE  UNITED  STATES. 

WITH   BEAUTIFUL   AND   ACCURATE    COLOURED   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  INFORMATION 

RESPECTING    THE 

HISTORY,  CONDITION  AND  PROSPECTS 

OP   THE 

COLLECTED  AND  PREPARED  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  THJE  BUREAU  OF  INDIAN 
AFFAIRS,  PER  ACT  OF  MARCH  3,  18^7, 

BIT  SIXISTH'S'  B.  SC£IOO£.CHil.FT,  I.I..D. 

ILLUSTRATED  BY  S.  EASTMAN,  Capt.  U.  S.  A.  < 

PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF  CONGRESS. 

THE  AMERICAN  GARDENEE'S  CALENDAR, 

adapted  TO  THE  CLIMATE  AND  SEASONS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Containing  a  complete  account  of  all  the  work  necessary  to  be  done  in  the  Kitchen  Garden,  Fruit 

Garden,  Orchard,  Vineyard,  Nursery,  Pleasure-Ground,  Flower  Garden,  Green-house.  Hot-house, 

and  Forcing  Frames,  for  every  month  in  the  year;  with  ample  Practical  Directions  for  performrag 

the  name. 

Also,  general  as  well  a.-?  minute  instructujns  for  laying  out  or  erecting  each  and  every  of  the  above 
department,"?,  according  to  modern  taste  and  the  most  approved  plans;  the  Oniamental  Planting  of 
Pleasure  Grounds,  in  llie  ancient  and  modern  style;  the  cultivation  of  Thorn  Quicks,  and  other 
plants  suitable  for  Live  Hedges,  with  the  best  methods  of  mailing  them,  <tc.  To  which  are  annexed 
catalogues  of  Kitchen  Garden  Plants  and  Herbs;  Aromatic,  Pot,  and  Swoet  Herbs;  Medicinal 
Phinta,  and  the  most  important  Grapes,  &.C.,  used  in  rural  economy;  with  the  soil  best  adapted  to 
their  cultivation.  Togctlicr  with  a  copious  Index  to  the  body  of  the  work. 
BY  BERNARD  M'MAHON. 
Tenth  Edition,  greatly  improved.    In  one  volume,  octava 

THE  USEFUL  AND  THE  BEAUTIFUL; 

OR.  DOMESTIC  AND  MORAL  DUTIES  NECESSARY  TO  SOCIAL  HAPPINESS. 

BEAUTIFULLY   ILLUSTRATED. 

IGmo.  square  cloth.     Price  50  and  75  cents. 

12 


LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMEO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

THE  FARMER'S  AND  PLANTER'S  ENCYCLOP/EDIA. 


€)^  /armor's  mi  ^lanlrr's  d^nnjtlniiiBMa  nf  Enrnl  Slffm 

BY  CUTHBERT  W.  JOHNSON. 
'    ADAPTED  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  BY  GOUVERNEUR  EMERSON. 

fllostrated  by  seventeen  beautiful  Engravings  of  Cattle,  Horses,  Sheep,  the  varieties  of  Wheat 
Barley,  Oats,  Grasses,  the  Weeds  of  Agriculture,  <fec. ;  besides  numerous  Engrav- 
ings on  wood  of  the  most  important  implements  of  Agriculture,  <tc. 
This  standard  work  contains  the  latest  and  best  information  upon  all  siibjects  connected  with 
ferming,  and  appertaining  to  the  country ;  treating  of  the  great  crops  of  grain,  hay,  cotton,  hemp, 
iobacco,  rice,  sugar,  <fec.  &c. ;  of  horses  and  mules;  of  rattle,  with  minute  particulars  relating  to 
cheese  and  butter-making;  of  fowls,  including  a  description  of  capon-making,  with  drawings  of  the 
instruments  employed ;  of  bees,  and  the  Russian  and  other  systems  of  managing  bees  and  con- 
fctructiug  hives.    Long  articles  on  the  uses  and  preparation  of  bones,  lime,  guano,  and  all  sorts  of 
animal,  mineral,  and  vegetable  substances  employed  as  manures.  Descriptions  of  the  most  approved 
ploughs,  harrows,  threshers,  and  every  other  agricultural  machine  and  implement;  of  fruit  and 
shade  trees,  forest  trees,  and  shrubs ;  of  weeds,  and  all  kinds  of  flies,  and  destructive  worms  and 
<usects,  and  the  best  means  of  getting  rid  of  them;  together  with  a  thousand  other  matters  relating 
o  rural  life,  about  which  information  is  so  consteatly  desired  by  all  residents  of  the  country. 
IN    ONE    LARGE    OCTAVO   VOLUME. 

MASON'S  FARRIER-FARMERS'  EDITION. 

Price,  62  cents. 


THE  PRACTICAL  FAKRIER,  FOR  FARMERS: 

COMPRIBINQ    A    GENERAL    DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    NOBLE   AND   DSEFUL   ANIMAL, 

THE    HORSE; 

iWrra  MODES  OF  MANAGEMENT  IN  ALL  CASES,  AND  TREATMTNT  IN  DISEASK, 
TO    WHICH    IS    ADDED, 

A  PRiZE  ESSAY  ON  MULES ;  AND  AN  APPENDIX, 

Containing  RecijKJS  for  Diseases  of  Horses,  Oxen,  Cows,  Calves,  Sheep,  Dogs,  Swine,  Ac.  &«. 

BY  RI0I2i?LHD  ESASOIT,  EI.  !>., 

Formerly  of  Surry  County,  Virginia. 

In  one  volume,  12 mo.;    bound  in  cloth;  gilt. 

MASON'S  FARRIER  AND  STUD-BOOK-NEW  EDITION. 


THE  GENTLEMAN'S  NEW  POCKET  FARRIER: 

COMPRISINQ  A  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  NOBLE  AND  nSEFDL  ANIMAL, 

THE    HORSE; 

WITH  MODES  OF  MANAGEMENT  IN  ALL  CASES,  AND  TREATMENT  IN  DISEASE.. 

BIT  RZCHilLRD  ISiL50X7,  M.  D., 

Formerly  of  Surry  County,  Virginia. 

to  which  is  added,  A  PRIZE  ESSAY  ON  MULES ;  and  AN  APPENDIX,  containing  Recipes  i 

i  Diseases  of  Horses,  Oxen,  Cows,  Calves,  Sheep,  Dogs,  Swine,  <kc.  6ia. ;  with  Annal* 

of  the  Turf,  American  Sturt-Book,  Rules  for  Training,  Racing,  <5ic 

WITH   A   SUPPLEMENT, 

Comprising  an  Essay  on  Domestic  Animals,  especially  the  Horse ;  with  Remarks  on  Treatment  a 

Breeding;  together  with  Trotting  and  Racing  Tables,  showmg  the  best  time  on  record  at  cm* 

two.  three  and  four  mile  heats  ;  Pedigrees  of  Wmning  Horses,  since  1839,  and  of  the  most 

celebrated  Stallions  and  Mares;  with  useful  Calving  and  Lambing  Tables.    By 

J.  S.  SKINNER,  Eklitof  now  of  the  Fanner's  Library,  New  York,  <kc.  Ac 

1]  13 


LIPPINCOTT,  ORAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

HINDS'S  FARRIERY  AND  STUD-BOOK-NEW  EDITION. 


FARRIERY, 

TAUGHT  ON  A  NEW  AND  EASY  PLAN:       . 

BEING 

a  €xulm  nn  \)}t  ¥imm  unli  Slrritonts  nf  i\)i  Inm; 

fith  Instructions  to  the  Shoeing  Smith,  Farrier,  and  Groom ;  preceded  by  a  Popular  Description  ol 
the  Animal  Functions  in  Health,  and  how  these  are  to  be  restored  when  disordered. 

BY  JOHN    HINDS,  VETERINARY  SURGEON. 

With  considerable  Additions  and  Improvements,  particularly  adapted  to  this  country, 

BY  THOMAS  M.    SMITH, 

Veterinary  Surgeon,  and  Member  of  the  London  Veterinary  Medical  Society. 

WITH  A  SUPPLEMENT,  BY  J.  8.  SKINNER. 

The  publishers  have  received  numerous  flattering  notices  of  the  great  practical  value  of  these 

works.    The  distinguished  editor  of  the  Amencan  Fanner,  speaking  of  them,  observes:— "W« 

oumot  too  highly  recommend  these  books,  and  therefore  advise  every  owner  of  a  horse  to  obtaia 

them." 

"There  are  receipts  in  those  books  that  show  how  Founder  may  be  cured,  and  the  traveller  pur- 
ine his  journey  the  next  day,  by  gi\ing  a  tablespoonful  of  alum.  This  was  got  from  Dr.  P.  Thomttsij 
ofMontpelier,  Rappaliannock  county,  Virginia,  as  founded  on  his  owTi  observation  in  several  cases." 

"  The  constant  demand  for  Mason's  and  Hinds's  Farrier  has  induced  the  publishers,  Messrs.  Lip- 
pmcott,  Grambo  <t  Co.,  to  put  forth  new  editions,  with  a  '  Supplement'  of  100  pages,  by  J.  S.  Skinner, 
Esq.  We  should  have  sought  to  render  an  acceptable  service  to  our  agricultural  readers,  by  giving 
a  chapter  from  the  Supplement,  'Oa  the  Relations  between  Man  and  tiie  Domestic  Animals,  espe- 
cially the  Horse,  and  the  Obligations  they  impose  ;'  or  the  one  on  'The  Form  of  Animals;'  but  that 
either  one  of  them  would  overrun  the  space  here  allotted  to  such  subjects." 

"  Lists  of  Medicines,  and  other  articles  which  ought  to  be  at  hand  about  every  training  and  livery 
Btable,  and  every  Farmer's  and  Breeder's  establishment,  will  be  found  in  these  valuable  works." 


TO  CARPENTERS  AND  MECHANICS 

Just  Published. 


A  NEW  AND  IMPROVED  EDITION  OF 

THE  CARPENTER'S  NEW  GUIDE, 

A    COMPLETE    BOOK    OF    LIKES    FOR 

CARPENTRY  AND  JOINERY; 

Treating  fully  on  Practical  Geometry,  Soffits,  Groins,  Niches,  Roofs,  and  Domes :  and  containing  a 
great  variety  tti  original  Designs. 

ALSO,  A   FULL  EXEMPLIFICATION  OF  THE 

Theory  and  Practice  of  Stair  Building, 

Cornices,  Mouldings,  and  Dressings  of  every  description.    Including  also  some  observations  and 
calculations  on  the  Strength  of  Timber. 

BY    PETER    NICHOLSON, 

Author  of  "The  Carpenter'.s  and  Joiner's  Assistant,"  "The  Stn''eiit's  Instructor  to  the  Five 
Orders,"  <kc.    The  whole  being  carefully  and  thoroughly  revised, 

^  BYN.K.    DAVIS, 

And  containing  numerous  New,  Improved,  and  Original  Designs,  for  Roofs,  Bomes,  &c., 

BY    SAMUEL    SLOAN,    ARCHITECT, 

Author  of  "Tlio  Model  Aichilect." 

SIXTEENTH    EDITION.       PBICE,    FOUR    DOLLAIIS. 

14 


LIPPL\COTT,  GRAMBO  &  CO.'S  PUBLICATIONS. 

A  DICTIONARY  OF  SELECT  AND  POPULAR  QUOTATIONS, 

WHICH  ARE  IN  DAILY  USE. 

TAKEN  FROM  THE  LATIN,  FRENCH,  GRiiEK,  SPAMSH  AND  ITALIAN  LANGUAGES. 

Together  with  a  copious  Collection  of  Law  Maxims  'and  Law  Terms,  translated  into 

English,  with  Illustrations,  Historical  and  Idiomatic. 

NEW  AMERICAN  EDITION,  CORRECTED.  WITH  ADDITIONS. 

One  volume,    12 mo. 

Thi^  volume  comprises  a  copious  collection  of  leg:al  and  other  terms  which  are  in  common  U9«. 
With   English  translations  and  historical  illustrations;  and  we  should  judgre  its  author  had  surel> 

een  to  a  ereat  "Feast  of  Languaires,"  and  stole  all  the  scraps.  A  work  of  thus  character  should 
have  an  extensive  sale,  as  it  entirely  obviates  a  serious  difficulty  in  which  most  readers  are  involved 
by  the  fre<iuent  occurrence  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  French  passaices,  which  we  suppose  are  introduced 
by  authors  for  a  mere  show  of  leamins— a  difficulty  very  perplexing  to  readers  in  general.  This 
"  Dictionary  of  Quotations,"  concerning  which  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  its  favour,  effectuallf 
removes  the  difficulty, and  gives  the  reader  an  advantage  over  the  author;  for  we  believe  a  majority 
are  themselves  ig^iorant  of  the  meannig  of  the  terms  they  employ.  Very  few  truly  learned  authors 
will  insult  their  readers  by  introducing  Latin  or  French  quotations  in  their  liVTitings,  when  "plain 
Englisii"  will  do  as  well ;  but  we  will  not  enlarge  on  this  point. 

If  the  book  is  useful  to  those  unacquainted  with  other  languages,  it  is  no  less  valuable  to  the 
classically  educated  as  a  book  of  reference,  and  answers  ail  the  purposes  of  a  Lexicon  — indeed,  on 
many  accotmts,  it  is  better.  It  saves  the  trouble  of  tumbling  over  the  larger  volumes,  to  which 
every  one,  and  especially  those  engatred  in  llie  legal  profession,  are  verv  often  subjected.  It  should 
have  a  place  in  every  hbrary  in  the  country. 

RUSCHENBERGEH'S  NATURAL  HISTORY', 

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Nor  is  not  moved  with  concord  of  sweet  sounds, 
Is  fit  for  treasons,  stralajfcms,  and  spoils." 

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CUMFRISINO   TH3    HDMOROOS    ADVBNTDRE8   OF 

UNCLE  TOBY  AND  CORPORAL   TRIM. 

BeauM/uDy  Illustrated  by  Dasriey.    Stitched* 

A  sentimentTl  journey. 

BY  L.   STERNS. 

Illustrated  aa  assove  by  I>arley«    Stitcheda 

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LIFE  OF   PAUL    JONES. 

in  oix«  volume,  12nio- 
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BY  JAMES  HAMILTON, 
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Black  Sea.  There  v*  scarcely  any  Naval  Hero,  of  any  age,  who  combined  in  his  character  so  much 
of  Jhe  adventurous,  skiiiui  and  daring,  as  faul  Jones.  The  incidents  of  his  life  are  almost  as  start 
ling  and  absorbing-  as  tflose  of  romance,  riin  achievements  dnrin?  the  American  Revolution  — the 
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matters  comparatively  well  known  to  Americans ;  but  the  incu^pnts  of  liis  subsequent  career  have 
been  veiled  in  obsn?*rity,  which  is  dissipated  by  this  biosrapny.  A  book  like  this,  narrating  the 
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tains 400  pages,  has  h  ftanus'jme  portrait  and  medallion  likeness  of  Jones,  and  is  illustrated  with 
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TIE  GflSEK  illlii 

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DURING    THE    MASSACRE   ON  THE   ISLAND    OF   SCIO   BY   THE   TURKS 
TOGETHER  WITH  VARIOUS  AUVENTURES  IN  GREECE  AND  AfjlERIC^^. 

WUITT'BN   BY   HIMSELP, 

Author  of  an  Essay  on  tbe  Ancient  and  Modem  Greek  f.angnagss;  Interpretation  of  the  Attribute 

of  the  Principal  Fabulous  Deities ;  The  Jewish  Maiden  of  Scio's  Citadel ;  and 

Shs  C4reek  Jboy  in  the  Sunday-SchooL 

^©  vomme,  12mo, 

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k  Collection  of  New  and  tfeautiful  Tuncii  wlapted  to  the  use  of  S^abbath-Schools,  from  some  of  ^ 
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EDITED  Br  MiNARD  W.  V/ILSON. 
91 


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CAMP  LIFE  OF  A  VOLUNTEER. 

A  Campaign  in  Mexico;  Or,  A  Glimpse  at,  Life  in  Camp. 

BY  "Oini  WHO  HAS  SEEN  THE  ELEPHANT." 

life  of  (gjnnal  ^lu^nn]  ^aqlnr, 

COMPRISING   A    NARRATIVE   OF   EVENTS   CONNECTED   WITB    HIS   PROFESSIONAL 
CAREER,  AND  AUTHENTIC  INCIDr^NlS  OF  HIS  EARLY  YEARS. 

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"The  superiority  of  this  edition  over  the  ephemeral  publications  of  the  day  consists  in  fuller  and 
more  authentic  accounts  of  his  family,  liis  early  life,  and  Indian  wars.  The  narrative  of  lus  pri^ 
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GENEr.AL  TAYLOil  AND  HIS  STAFF: 

Comprising  Memoirs  of  Generals  Taylor,  Worth,  Wool,  and  Butler;  Cols.  M.iy,  Cross, Clay,  Hardin, 

Yell,  Hays,  and  other  distinguished  Officers  attach^jd  to  General  Taylor's 

Army.    Interspersed  with 

NUMEROUS  ANECDOTES  OF  THE  MEXICAN  WAR. 

wid  Personal  Adventures  of  the  Officers.    Compiled  from  Public  Documents  and  Private  Corr»- 

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ACCURATE  PORTRAITS,  AND  OTHER  BEAUTIFUL  ILLUSTRATIONS, 

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distinguished  officers  attached  to  General  Scott's  Army. 

TOGETUER    WITH 

Notices  of  General  Kearny,  Col.  Doniiihan,  Col..  Fremont,  end  other  ofTicers  distinaruinhed  in  tb« 

Conquest  of  California  and  New  Mexico ;  and  Personal  Ad  (dentures  of  the  Officers.    Com- 

pdcd  from  Public  Documents  and  Private  Correspondence.    With 

»  CCURATE   PORTRAITS,  AND  OTHER    BEAUTIFUL   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

In  one  volume,  12mo. 


THE  FAMILY  DENTIST, 

MCLUDING  THE  SURGICAL,  MEDICAL  AND  MECHANICAL  TREATI^ENT 

OF  THE  TEETH. 

ninstrated  'vritli  thirty-one  Bnj^raviiigs* 

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"  'Tis  to  create,  and  in  creating  live 
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DATE  DUE 

„PP 

HIGHSMITH       #LO-45220 

BS2827  .L691 

The  book  of  Revelation  explained  by 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00014  1889 


